Alyssa
by R. O. Knight
Summary: Their lives were about to change forever...
1. Alyssa

**Their lives were about to change…forever**

Adrenaline was in major abundance as the NCIS team stormed a two-story house on the North side of L.A.. The team had been investigating the kidnapping of a Navy Commander's foster child, and earlier in the morning the Commander went missing as well. Luckily though, their resident tech wizard had thought to place a hidden tracking device on the commander's person.

Callen and Sam waited at the front door, while Kensi and Deeks were setting up around back.

"Move in on my mark." Callen said through his earwig. "Sam, you ready?" Sam nodded silently. "Kensi? Deeks?"

Around at the back of the house, Kensi and Deeks were finally in position, and awaiting the signal from their team leader. "We're all set here." Deeks responded, looking over at Kensi.

"What?" Kensi asked. She saw the look on her partner's face, and found it to be very distracting.

"Nothing." Deeks just flashed that goofy grin of his, and it threatened to unsettle her completely. "You got my back right?" he asked as he readied himself for the signal.

Kensi returned her focus to the mission. "Don't I always?" Deeks nodded with a satisfied grin.

"On Three…Two…One, Go!" Came Callen's signal. All four agents burst into the house simultaneously—guns drawn at the ready.

Callen and Sam entered through the front door, while Kensi and Deeks came through the back. At the front, Sam squeezed off the first shot-dropping a lone sentry who was waiting just inside the door.

"On you're left!" Sam warned his partner suddenly. A tattooed thug appeared to one side of the duo as they entered the living room. Callen easily dropped him with a single shot to the chest.

"Thanks." Callen replied. The two men then proceeded to move on once more. "Don't mention it." Sam replied seriously.

"Let's split up." Callen told his partner as they reached a branching path. "You go towards the dining room. I'll take the study."

"Right." The two men split off in two separate directions to search for their missing commander. 

Kensi and Deeks entered the house, and immediately found themselves in the kitchen. Deeks turned to the right, and found a set of stairs that led from the kitchen up to the second floor.

A thug was just entering the kitchen from a short hallway at that same moment. "What the F-" The man started to raise his assault rifle, but he was too slow. Kensi quickly squeezed off a round that buried itself in the man's shoulder—dropping him to his knees while he clutched at the newly acquired gunshot wound.

"Kensi, up here!" Deeks called from the stairs.

"Be there in a sec!" She feisty brunette called back. Kensi then kicked the man in the face, and he was instantly knocked out cold. She turned afterward, and headed back for the stairs to join her partner.

Deeks was already at the top, and Kensi heard a several shots ring out above her head. Her heart jumped into her throat, and panic crept over her as she started to run faster up the stairs. "Deeks!"

She reached the top, and searched desperately for her partner—fearing that the worst had happened in her absence. Her gut said to go right so she did. The first room she entered after that was empty, and so was the next. That just left one more room.

She entered the last room, and was almost gunned down by a thug with an Uzi. She managed to pull herself back out of the room just in the nick of time though. Her heart was pounding really hard against her chest at this point.

Silence now came from within the room. She counted to three, and started to move back into position to take another shot at the armed thug. "Freeze!" she yelled as she jumped into the room. Three shots later the thug was dead on the floor.

On the other side of the hallway, Deeks met with very little resistance until he reached the second room on the end. He stepped into the room, and found it empty. _Nothing in here but air…well, that and dust._

He started to turn around when he heard a familiar clicking sound coming from just behind him.

"Turn around!" Deeks did as he was told, while raising his hands in mock defeat at the same time. "Drop your weapon!"

"Dude, so _not_ gonna happen." Deeks said with a half-grin. Anyone who knew anything about Marty Deeks would know that he always tended to 'wing it' in situations like these—always hoping for the best.

The thug looked confused by Deeks' statement, and shifted nervously where he stood in the doorway of the room. "Why not!" he demanded.

Just then a shot rang out, and the man crumpled into a heap upon the floor. Deeks saw his partner standing just outside the room with her gun pointed straight out in front of her. "That's why." Deeks said to the lifeless form lying at his feet. He couldn't help but flash that goofy grin of his at Kensi.

"Just like I planned." He said confidently, with a quick wink as he exited the room. Kensi rolled her eyes at her shaggy-haired partner. _Oh, give me a break._

"You owe me one." She told him. "Okay," he replied. "How about a beer after work?" Kensi nodded her approval. "Works for me." She said with a grin, as she punched Deeks playfully in the shoulder.

The partners started back for the stairs, but stopped when they heard a strange sound coming from the only room that they hadn't bothered to check.

"You hear that?" They both stopped, listening intensely to make sure that they had actually heard something.

"Yeah," Deeks replied, looking around until he spotted a room with a closed door. "Sounds like it's coming from over there."

They ran quickly to the door. Kensi jiggled the doorknob, and found that it was locked up tight. "It's locked." Deeks pressed his ear to the door and listened. The sound he heard on the other side was like that of a child whimpering in fear. "We're here to help…step away from the door." Deeks said loudly.

"Move back." He and Kensi moved back from the door, and then a second later Deeks lunged forward ad kicked the door in—allowing them access to the once closed room.

They rushed into the room, and stopped instantly. Kensi let out a horrified gasp.

The little girl looked so fragile to the two partners. She was only about 4 or 5 years of age with soft, dirty blond hair and brilliant green eyes that sparkled like perfect emeralds. She was kneeling next to the lifeless body of her foster father—she seemed as though she were in some kind of trance or something.

"She looks like hel-" Kensi started to say, but Deeks cleared his throat loudly. She got the message, and quickly shut her mouth. "Deeks, look. That chain around her ankle—its attached to the bed." Kensi pointed out.

"Call it in." Deeks told his partner. "I'll get her."

Deeks slowly moved to the little girl's side. "Hey there munchkin. My name's Marty…I'm here to help you." He said softly. "Just gonna get rid of this chain for you."

Outside the room, Kensi pressed a finger to her earwig. "We're all clear upstairs." She informed the rest of the team. "We found the Commander and the girl…but the Commander's dead." Kensi's voice was really low at that last statement. "Damn." Callen swore over the earwig.

"Kensi, we're all clear down here. Stay put. We'll come to you." Sam chimed in.

"Roger that."

Inside the room, Deeks had managed to liberate the little girl from her restraints. "Do you uh…do you have a name?" Deeks asked. His voice remained calm and soothing as he spoke to her.

She nodded. "Alyssa." She said quietly. Deeks smiled at the little girl, and gently patted her on the head. "Well, Alyssa, you're in good hands now—my partner and I are going to take real good care of you."

The little girl nodded that she understood. "Sorry about you're…dad." Deeks said, nervously. He wasn't sure what she normally called the Commander, but he was trying his best.

The little girl threw her arms around Deeks' neck, and hugged him tight. "Hey," he said softly, returning the gesture sympathetically. "You're okay now. I've got you."

Kensi stepped back into the room a second later, and looked at Deeks. "Sam and Callen are on their way up now. They said Alvarez got away."

Deeks huffed. "What else is new?" It was a rhetorical question of course, and Kensi knew all too well how her partner felt.

"Kensi! Deeks!" Callen's voice was full of urgency as he called to them over the earwig transmitters that they wore. "Alvarez is trying to burn the place down—we can't get to you."

Panic washed over Kensi as she listened to Callen's warning. Deeks could see the expression painted on his partner's face, and it told him that they needed to leave—quickly.

"You guys need to get out of there, now!" Sam told Kensi over the earwig.

"Deeks, we need to go now!" Kensi said urgently. Deeks was already on his feet with the little girl held in his arms. "Take her." He handed the little girl to Kensi—who had a horrified look on her face.

"Deeks, I-I can't." she stammered. She tried to push the girl back into Deeks' arms, but to no avail. "Kensi, take her—please. I've got to get the Commander." He explained hurriedly.

Kensi was very nervous about having to make actual physical contact with the fragile looking little girl. She had never really been great with kids before. She had convinced herself, once, that all kids just naturally hated her. They just did, and nothing she did made any difference at all. Deeks finally forced her into it at last, and she accepted the task—albeit reluctantly though.

"Just hold on, and keep her close." He instructed her.

Soon the pair of agents was racing down the hallway, back towards the stairway. Deeks was carrying the Commander's body across his shoulders. He grimaced under the body's shifting weight as he ran.

There was smoke already billowing up from the first floor, and Kensi heard the little girl whimper as they moved closer to it.

"Shhh, its okay." Kensi whispered reassuringly. She wasn't sure how, but it seemed to work well enough. The little girl's grip around Kensi's neck tightened a little bit more as they started down the stairs.

Something was awakened deep inside Kensi at that moment, and she couldn't explain exactly what it was—but it was definitely not something she had ever experienced before.

They were all coughing insanely as the heavy smoke quickly filled their lungs. "Hold you're breath, and keep moving!" Deeks shouted through a strangled cough.

By the time they reached the bottom of the stairs, the kitchen area was already on fire, and the flames were slowly spreading. The first thing that Deeks noticed was that the backdoor had been blocked, and set on fire.

"Damn!" he swore through another choking cough. "It's blocked."

"We'll have to find another way!" Kensi shouted back. 

Outside the house, Sam and Callen had already liberated themselves from its fiery hold, and were waiting on the lawn for signs of Kensi and Deeks.

Sam was standing off to the side with a finger pressed to his earwig. "Eric, we need the fire department out here Pronto." Sam said over the earwig. "You got it Sam. Help's on the way now."

"Thanks." Sam replied.

"Come on." Callen said quietly, as he paced back and forth. "Where the hell are they! They should be out by now."

"G. Relax—they'll be fine." Sam tried to reassure his partner.

"That's it. I'm going back in." Callen said, as he began to strip off his heavy Kevlar vest.

Suddenly the front door flew open, and Kensi and Deeks emerged from the smoke-filled house into the fresh, open air of the great outdoors. "There!" Sam pointed ahead of them as he spotted the others coming out of the house.

Kensi and Deeks were barely out the front door when a mini-explosion erupted outward from inside the house. All four agents were knocked to the ground as a result.

Kensi was falling forward before she even knew what was happening. She instinctively wrapped her arms all the way around the little girl, and tucked into a roll just before they hit the ground.

Miraculously, no one was seriously injured through the whole mess. 

The team gathered at the mission several hours later for a debriefing from Hetty. Everyone was exhausted from the long, trying day that they'd just gone through and all were itching to get home to bed.

"So what's our next move, Hetty?" Callen asked, rubbing the back of his neck.

"We wait." The tiny woman replied seriously. "Alvarez is still out there—but we haven't a single new lead to go on."

While all of this was going on, Deeks' mind was still on the little girl that he and Kensi had rescued from the house. He had actually spent the better part of the last few hours keeping her company. Needless to say, he was becoming attached to her already.

"Mr. Deeks!" Hetty said loudly, tapping her hand against the table to get his attention.

"Hunh, what!"

Hetty shook her head at the shaggy-haired man. Sam and Callen both snorted in amusement at the liaison officer's apparent lack of focus.

"How's the girl?" Hetty asked once again. "Alright, I hope."

"Oh, she's-she's good. Quite the trooper actually." He said with an adoring smile.

"I see." Hetty thought silently for a long moment, before speaking again. "She'll need to be placed into protective custody for awhile—at least for the time being." Everyone in the OPS Centre was looking at Hetty. "She could be used as a witness against Alvarez in the future—should the need arise that is." Hetty told them.

Deeks raised a hand without thinking. "She could stay at my place. I've got plenty of room." He offered.

"That's not a bad idea Hetty." Callen said. "And kids seem to really like him anyway—so it does seem logical." He added.

"Indeed. However, I think that it would be more appropriate if she stayed with a _woman_.

There was a collective nod that ran silently through the entire team. "Nell could do it." Kensi pointed out. "Or, even Callen—I mean, he's been through the foster care system so he has experience that I don't." she tried desperately.

Hetty nodded, but then a wicked smile began to spread across her lips. "I have another idea though…Ms. Blye, I am going to release Ms. Alyssa into _your_ custody effective immediately." She informed the female NCIS Special Agent.

"What!" Kensi started in protest. Her jaw dropped slightly from the shock of Hetty's words. "No. No, Hetty I can't. I know nothing about kids—not to mention they don't seem to really _like me_ anyway." She tried, but Hetty wouldn't hear it. "Let her go with Nell, or Callen…or-or Deeks—just not me, please." Kensi begged.

"My decision stands, Ms. Blye." Hetty said firmly, raising a hand to the brunette NCIS Agent.

…TBC…

…Stay Tuned for The Next Exciting Chapter _Their Knight in Shining Armor_…


	2. Their Knight in Shining Armor

Kensi had stopped by the boat shed to pick-up Alyssa just after leaving the Ops Centre, and now the pair were heading back to the female NCIS Agent's apartment. Nell had been keeping an eye on the little girl at the boat shed while Kensi and the rest of the team finished up at the mission.

Now, as Kensi drove the two of them to her place in her SRX she couldn't help feeling nervous and on edge the entire drive home. They hadn't spoken to each other since leaving the boat shed, and Kensi wondered silently how the whole arrangement would possibly work if she couldn't get the little girl to respond to her.

_This is going to be a long night._

"We're gonna have lots of fun, you and me." Kensi tried in a soft, sweet voice. "Y-You'll see. It'll be…great." Even as the words left her mouth, though, she just couldn't make herself believe them. She was convinced that she would surely screw this up, and wind up causing this precious little girl sitting beside her more pain and misery than happiness.

Her heart sank in her chest at the thought of possibly ruining the little girl's life.

Three o'clock in the morning, and Kensi was still awake. Alyssa was still awake too, and both of them were acutely aware of the awkward silence that surrounded them. The biggest issue had been Alyssa's reluctance to close her eyes, and even try to get some sleep. Kensi couldn't understand what was wrong, and it wasn't for lack of trying either.

She opened her mouth to speak, but closed it when she heard a knock at the door. She answered it, and found Deeks standing just outside holding two big paper sacks in his arms.

"Sorry, I'm late." He said quietly. "It took longer than I expected to round all this stuff up."

"Should I have been expecting you?" Kensi asked, somewhat confused. She watched as Deeks moved by her and into the house. "You didn't think I would let you do this alone, did you?" he asked, with that goofy grin of his.

She really hadn't thought about it much, to be honest; but she _was _glad he'd come—kind of like he was _their Knight in Shining Armor_.

"Hey there, squirt." Deeks greeted Alyssa playfully as he passed her on the sofa. The little girl perked up almost instantly at seeing Deeks again. This kind of made Kensi feel a little worse about the situation.

Deeks set the paper sacks down on the kitchen counter, and then started unloading the contents of each. Kensi walked to the edge of the space between the living room and the kitchen. "Okay, so I got juices, snacks—the good stuff, not the healthy crap—movies, and I picked out a couple of things for short-stack over there," he told them, with a playful wink at Alyssa who was watching him intently from the sofa. He handed a small stack of clothing items to Kensi. "I also picked up a few toiletries as well, and some bubble bath—and by the way those things you call _shoes_ are the ugliest things I've ever seen, and it's the middle of summer, so I got you some flip flops instead."

Kensi watched in awe, as Deeks just seemed to make the little girl come completely alive. He finished unloading the contents of the second bag, and then disposed of both sacks at the same time.

"How can you afford all this?" Kensi whispered in Deeks ear. While she didn't actually think that her partner was poor, she knew he wasn't exactly rich either.

Deeks shrugged at his partner. "Well, I'll have to cut out the Starbucks for a while, and maybe the surf'n'turf plate down at the 'Surf Shack'—but I think I'll survive otherwise." He joked. Kensi could tell that he was serious, though, behind the jovial blue eyes.

"You shouldn't get too attached, you know," she told him quietly. "Its probably not a good idea." She knew, though, that it was probably too late to tell him that—he was already attached.

Deeks shrugged. "You're probably right, but then again I'm not you." He meant it to be funny, but he could instantly tell by the look in Kensi's eyes that she had taken it as a blow to her inability to open up and share her feelings. It made him feel like an ass for even opening his mouth in the first place. "Anyway, moving on-Here!" he said, shoving a few items into Kensi's hands, and taking back the clothing items from before.

"What's this stuff for?" She asked, looking down at the items. She knew what they were, but it seemed strange that Deeks would give them to her.

"Bath time." Deeks replied, motioning towards Alyssa.

"Ooh no." she said, trying to shove the items back. "Not me, I can't do it—you do it, you're better at it." Deeks stood his ground though, and gently pushed back. "Kens, she's a girl…you're a girl—I'm a guy. Do the math." He was an inch away from her face then, just smiling.

Kensi knew that Deeks had a valid point, but that didn't exactly make it any better.

"Besides, you _both_ look like you need baths." He added.

Kensi shook her head at her shaggy-haired partner in disgust. "I hate you." She hissed, though playfully, under her breath.

"Give it time." He whispered back, with a devilish gleam in his eye.

The whole 'bath time' deal went just as Kensi had envisioned it would. Alyssa fought against her every step of the way, and by the time it was over they were both ill at each other. When they came out of the bathroom—both wrapped up in fluffy, white towels—there were sour faces all around.

"Go well?" Deeks asked, hopefully.

Kensi glared at Deeks, shook her head, and then stalked off towards her bedroom. "Guess not." Deeks looked down at the little girl standing there in front of him. "Lets get you dressed." He said with a smile.

A few minutes later Alyssa came back out of the bathroom, and was dressed in a new nightgown that Deeks had bought for her. It was purple, with yellow flowers printed over it. It was also a little too small for the little girl. "Whoa, did not see that coming." Deeks blushed. "It's-It's uh…It's not quite big enough. That's interesting." He coughed nervously, turning his head to one side to hide his embarrassment. The nightgown covered all of her body except from about just a little above the knees to her feet remained exposed.

"Its still pretty." Alyssa said softly, as she gave the shaggy-haired man a hug.

Deeks couldn't help but smile in appreciation of the little girl's gratitude. "Don't sweat it—tomorrow, we'll go together, and find something that fits a little better."

"What'dya say I go check on Ms. Grouchy-pants back there, Hmm?" He said next. Alyssa seemed to get real serious at the reference to Kensi, and held a worried look in her eyes that made Deeks almost laugh—it was all he could do to hold it in. Then he adopted a sympathetic look of his own.

"She's really not that bad once you get to know her," Deeks told her. "You'll see." He patted the little girl on the top of the head with another wink, and then ushered her towards the sofa. He picked up the TV remote off of the coffee table, and switched on the television—and after a few seconds he found her a nice cartoon channel that was showing an episode of Spongebob Squarepants. "There you go—good old Spongebob. I'm gonna let you hang out here for a bit, and I'll be right back."

He smiled at the little girl, and then headed off towards the bedroom. Deeks stepped up to the bedroom door a few seconds later, and gave a gentle knock. "You decent?"

"Go away Deeks." Kensi called from within the bedroom. He could tell she wasn't happy with him right then. "Not happening, Kens." He called back.

Seconds later, the bedroom door finally opened, and revealed Kensi now wearing a tank top and a pair of boxer shorts. "You still here?" Yeah, she was pissed.

"First, let me just say…Oooh la la." He sneered, with a bad French accent. She punched him hard in the shoulder. "What! It was complement." He said as he rubbed the new sore spot on his left shoulder.

"You're such a Pig." She snorted at her partner—rolling her eyes at the same time.

Kensi shook her head, and walked out of the bedroom—her hair still semi-wet because she hadn't bothered to finish drying it with the blow dryer. Deeks followed her all the way into the kitchen.

Kensi opened her refrigerator, and pulled out a bottle of water—removing the cap as she closed the refrigerator door. "Look, Kensi—I know that was awkward for you, but-" he started quietly.

"Awkward!" Kensi hissed in a low voice. She tried her best to keep their conversation from being heard by Alyssa in the living room. "She hates me, Deeks. She's been so withdrawn since we found her locked up in that house earlier. I think its probably safe to say she's _terrified_ of _me_ at this point."

"I don't think so." Deeks replied with a shrug. "I think she _wants_ to like you." Deeks could tell that Kensi was miserable and afraid. He felt for her—he really did.

Again, Kensi shook her head at her partner between gulps of her water. She couldn't see, at this point, how _any_ kid would or could like her—much less, even _want_ to. It just seemed like such an alien concept to her. And the other thing she was having trouble with, was why she even cared in the first place. It wasn't like Alyssa would be with them for very long. So why bother? "Don't see why." She mumbled.

Kensi remembered how Alyssa had perked up when she saw Deeks come in earlier. It was amazing to her how they just clicked so effortlessly. She wished that she could be that kind of person sometimes—so open and honest, like Deeks.

Deeks ran a hand through his shaggy blond hair, and got serious. "The thing is…you can't be all wound up around her. Kids are smart Kens, they can tell when your nervous, or scared, or even angry—even if you're not really showing it. Its almost like they have a…a 'spider-sense', or something."

Kensi made a funny face at Deeks then. "_Spider-Sense_?" she repeated trying not to laugh. It wasn't working though.

"Yeah." He defended himself proudly—puffing out his chest a little bit. "That's what it is—Spider-Sense…like Spider-Man."

"Yeah, okay. Whatever." She laughed.

"Anyway, she's probably had enough _excitement_ for at least one day." Deeks said at last, with a sigh. "Now, she needs to get some sleep—and so do you." He said pointing a finger at Kensi.

A horrified look crossed Kensi's face at that moment, and she suddenly had to fight the urge to tie Deeks to one of her dining table chairs. "You can't go!" she nearly screamed. "You can't leave me alone with _her_ overnight—I wouldn't know what to do if-"

Deeks held up a hand to stop Kensi mid-sentence—a smile of understanding painted across his own face. "Relax." He told her in a soft voice. "I plan on staying…for tonight anyway. So you can both get used to things first." He reassured her.

She let out a relieved sigh at Deeks' promise to stay.

"So, I was thinking about the sleeping arrangement, and-"

Kensi stopped him short. "You two get the sofa. I get my bed. Sleeping arrangement solved." She said plainly, without much thought.

Deeks only shrugged. He knew that arguing otherwise would do no good.

Kensi walked out of the kitchen, and started back towards her bedroom. She stopped, and looked into the living room area and saw Alyssa sitting on the sofa watching cartoons.

"Deeks, that nightgown is-"

"I know." He said coming up behind the brunette. "Its too small…I'm a guy, so sue me."

Kensi suppressed the urge to laugh, and headed off to bed. "Good night Shaggy." She called over her shoulder.

Deeks chuckled. "Likewise…Cruella." He said playfully. Then he heard the bedroom door close.

Saturday morning finally came. It was about 7:45 a.m. when the female NCIS Agent began to stir from her deep sleep. She instantly became aware of another prescense in her bed, and at first she thought it might be Deeks. After a few seconds though, she noticed that the prescense was considerably smaller than Deeks.

She opened one eye, and then the other—slowly. Then she looked down, and found the little girl snuggled up to her own body, with her thumb in her mouth. Kensi couldn't help but smile at the slumbering child. She looked so peaceful this way, and it made Kensi forget to be angry at her for not staying on the sofa with Deeks.

Kensi suppressed some more laughter when her eyes fell upon the too-small nightgown that Alyssa was still wearing, and how it made her look a little bit bigger than she really was. _Deeks, you are such a guy._

She shifted her weight carefully and slowly around on the bed. She did this for a minute or so until she could quietly slip over the edge of the bed without waking the little girl. Then she quietly slipped on a pair of shorts, a t-shirt, and her running shoes.

It seemed almost wrong to do it, but she needed to. She needed to go out for her morning run to clear her head after the events of the last two days—which culminated in the rescuing of the little girl just the day before.

Smiling a warm smile, she bent down and gently kissed the little girl on the cheek before leaving the bedroom.

Outside she shook her head, as she began her run. A million thoughts ran through her mind. _Why had she done that? Why the kiss on the cheek? Why would Alyssa sneak into her bed in the middle of the night?_ _Was she becoming attached to Alyssa, like Deeks?_ All of these questions and many more just like them plagued here for the entire duration of the exercise.

When she finally returned to her place a little later, Deeks had breakfast waiting for her.

"What're you doing?" she asked, as she walked through her front door. The whole house smelled ridiculously good, and she suddenly realized just how hungry she really was.

"Morning sunshine! How was the run?" Deeks greeted Kensi cheerfully as she walked into the kitchen area. "It was okay." She said, as she pulled a bottle of water from the refrigerator.

"Thought we could all use some breakfast." He said with a smile, as he juggled a frying pan over the stove-top. Then he quickly moved to a second skillet, and moved it around a little bit. "Smells good doesn't it?"

Kensi rolled her eyes at her partner. "And where did _you_ learn to cook?" she asked. She had never known that Deeks could cook until now.

"Oh, you know. Here and there." He replied, with a mischievious grin.

"No, I want the truth." She said, popping him playfully in the arm. "Now tell me."

"Can't…it's a secret." He told her with that same grin from before.

She finally gave up on it. "Okay, fine. So what're we having then?" she asked, trying to look over Deeks' shoulder.

Alyssa was propped up on one of Kensi's bar stools that Deeks had pulled right up to the other side of the counter. She watched Deeks intently—apparently enthralled with his skills in the kitchen. "French Toast, eggs, and bacon." Alyssa told Kensi with a big smile.

Kensi smiled back at the little girl, and tousled her dirty blond hair playfully. "Yum, my favorite." She rubbed her tummy in a playful fashion, and smiled at the little girl. Alyssa laughed delightedly at Kensi's approval of their breakfast menu.

"Well, it was _her_ idea." Deeks explained, winking at Alyssa. He pulled back the pan he was holding, and quickly plated the last batch of eggs. "Apparently she ate at a Denny's once…with the Commander of course." Deeks told his partner.

Kensi laughed. "That so, hunh?" she said, looking over at the little girl. Alyssa just smiled, and nodded excitedly at Kensi.

"Okay, I'm gonna go change real quick, and then I'll join you guys for breakfast." Kensi told them, as she left the kitchen and headed back to her bedroom.

She returned a few minutes later, and joined them at the little dining table that sat over in the breakfast nook. "Here you go." Deeks said, handing his partner her plate as he sat himself down at the little table.

Kensi smiled appreciatively as she took her own seat. "Thanks. Looks good."

Deeks spoke up after a few minutes of them eating their breakfast had passed. "So, Alyssa and I were thinking about going shopping." He told Kensi, as he swallowed another bite of French toast. "We were kind of hoping that you'd come with us—you know, so we'd have that extra female opinion." He added.

Kensi thought for a moment, and then shook her head. "I-I don't know, I mean its not really my thing." She started to explain.

"Please come with us." Alyssa begged sweetly. "Please."

Kensi looked into those dazzling green eyes, and found her heart melting for the precious little girl.

"Yeah, come on Kens—please." Deeks gave the beautiful brunette sitting beside him his best 'puppy eyes'.

Kensi finally caved into their pleas, and gave a nod. "Fine, I'll go." She said with a smile. "But only because _you_ suck at picking out girly clothes." She added, pointing a finger at her partner. She was referring to Deeks' choice in the nightgown he had purchased the previous night for Alyssa, and the fact that it had been too small to fully cover her body properly.

Deeks shrugged with a grin. "Guilty as charged your Honor." He said, holding up both of his hands in defeat.

Alyssa laughed happily at the two adults.

Kensi wasn't sure exactly what was happening, but it was almost as if she were feeling drawn to the little girl now—just like Deeks had been from the start.

Later that afternoon when the three of them finally returned to Kensi's place from their little shopping excursion—they were all exhausted. Kensi and Alyssa collapsed onto the sofa together.

They had had such a great time together—just the three of them together—and Kensi could feel her heart beat contentedly now, as she looked at the little girl sitting on the sofa beside her. She looked so happy right then.

"I'm tired." Alyssa said, with a sigh. Kensi looked over at the little girl sweetly. "Me too." Kensi agreed. They watched as Deeks then waddled in through the front door carrying several, several shopping bags in his hands and under his arms.

"How did I end up with all the bags?" he asked, as he stumbled through the front door into Kensi's home.

Kensi and Alyssa both laughed at the sight of the shaggy-haired man struggling with _their_ bags. "You look funny, Marty." Alyssa giggled as she watched Deeks fight to maintain his balance.

"Yeah _Marty_," Kensi chimed in behind the little girl. "You look _really _funny."

Deeks shot Kensi a dirty look. "Ha Ha. Would you mind giving me a hand, Kensi _Marie_?"

Kensi blew out a sigh as she sat up on the sofa. "Fine. Guess we _should_ help him—what do you think?" she asked Alyssa.

Alyssa nodded at Kensi. "I think so too."

The two of them pushed themselves up off of the sofa, and walked over to where Deeks was still standing by the door. They carefully helped him set the shopping bags down on the floor by the coffee table, and the Kensi closed the front door and locked it.

"So, whose up for popcorn and a movie?" Deeks asked a little later. Kensi and Alyssa were still going through all of the things that they had bought on their shopping spree earlier.

"Sounds good to me." Kensi replied, with a smile.

"Me too." Alyssa agreed.

Kensi had gotten a few things for herself, and the rest was mostly stuff for Alyssa. Alyssa had managed to score two new nightgowns-that actually fit her properly—as well as a couple of t-shirts, some shorts and a pair of jeans, a pack of extra panties, a pretty yellow sunhat, a pair of tennis shoes, and a brand new bathing suit.

"How does _Big Miracle_ sound?" He asked next, looking over the movie ads in a newspaper he was holding in his hands. "It's playing in about an hour and a half." He told them.

"Hmm, what do you think?" Kensi asked Alyssa. "What's it about?" That was Alyssa's question for the two adults.

Deeks and Kensi spent a few minutes explaining the premise of the movie to the little girl, and by the time they had finished-she had become so fascinated by these creatures called _whales_ that were supposed to be in the movie. After all, Alyssa had never seen a whale before. So now she just had to see what the _whales_ in the movie looked like.

"Alright." Deeks said at last. "I guess it's a date then." He announced with a big smile, and a wink at Kensi.

…TBC…

…Stay Tuned for the Next Chapter 'Fun in the Sun'…

…P.S., Also I hope to be posting the next chapter in the 'Fern' series sometime tomorrow hopefully. So, remember to check that out if you're already reading that one as well. Thanks again you guys! All comments/reviews are welcome...


	3. Fun in the Sun

**Thanks again to all of you who have read and reviewed my stories. I appreciate each and every one of you very much…  
>I really hope that you guys enjoy this chapter as much as you did the first two chapters. Enjoy!<strong>

Sunday morning came, and Kensi woke to find Alyssa in her bed once again. She didn't mind of course, and it was actually kind of sweet to be honest. _Maybe this could work._

Alyssa had absolutely loved the movie they had seen the previous night, _Big Miracle_, and it had been amazing to watch the little girl afterwards. She was super smart for her age, and just seemed to absorb knowledge like a sponge.

Kensi placed a gentle kiss on top of the little girls' head, and then began tenderly stroking her soft hair. _God, I think she's actually growing on me._ Kensi smiled warmly as Alyssa began to stir.

She looked up at Kensi with eyes still full of sleep, and a tiny grin spread across her angelic-looking face. "Morning sleepy-head." Kensi said softly. "Sleep good?"

Alyssa nodded, and wiped sleep from her eyes.

"You guys awake yet!" Deeks' echoed through the house. The bedroom door opened then, and the shaggy-haired man stood his head into the room.

"Deeks, you idiot!" Kensi laughed, with a smile. "Its too early."

Deeks grinned at Kensi. "Its almost 8:00, Kens."

"And?" she pressed him.

"And we need to get going if we want to get a good spot." He explained, still grinning excitedly.

"What are you talking about?" Kensi asked, sitting up now. She was confused. They hadn't discussed plans of any kind for today—what was he up to she wondered.

"I thought we'd head to the beach for a day of _fun in the sun_." He told them, as he came further into the bedroom. "I've got coffee and donuts waiting in the kitchen…and orange juice too." He said with a wink at Alyssa.

Kensi looked down at Alyssa. "Would you like to go to the beach today, sweetie?" Kensi asked her sweetly.

"Yes ma'am, can we?" Alyssa replied.

Kensi looked up at Deeks. "Guess we're going to the beach then." She said. Alyssa and Deeks cheered happily. "Go get your bathing suit on." Kensi told the little girl.

Alyssa was up and out of bed in a flash, and headed for the living room where they had left all of the bags of clothes they had bought the day before. Then Kensi looked up at Deeks with a tiny grin.

Kensi didn't, for one second, miss the sly grin pasted on her partner's face. "You just want to see me in a Bikini, don't you?" she said arching an eyebrow at him, with a smile. Then she slipped off of the bed—stretching as she walked towards the bathroom.

Deeks smirked at the beautiful brunette as she walked by him. "Actually, I bet I could get you into a lot less, if I wanted to." He teased her.

She stopped at the door, and looked back over her shoulder at Deeks. She flashed him a teasingly, seductive smile. "Maybe." She teased.

Deeks felt his blood begin to run hot as he watched her disappear into the bathroom. _Damn. How does she do that?_ It was times like these that the sexy brunette really drove him wild with desire. He shook his head at last, as he felt the crotch of his shorts begin to tighten involuntarily.

_Shit. Quick, think of something else—anything else. Dead puppies, road kill...Uh, um, Renee Zellweger. Whew—that was close._ That did the trick, and he felt his pants loosen back up.

After a little bit, everyone was dressed and ready. Deeks made sure that Kensi and Alyssa both ate from the breakfast spread he had set out for them earlier.

Then they were out the door, and headed for the beach.

They drove in Deeks' car because he already had his surfboard strapped to the top of it. Deeks drove, Kensi sat in the passenger's seat, and Alyssa sat in the back seat. They drove for a few minutes talking back and forth amongst each other, until Deeks had an idea.

He reached across Kensi, and picked up a CD case off of the floor. "What are you doing?" Kensi asked.

"You'll see." He replied with a smile. He then selected a CD, and popped it into the dashboard CD player. "Get ready munchkin…you're going to love this."

A few seconds later, something that sounded like 60s music blared from the speakers. "If everybody had an ocean, across the U.S.A. …" Kensi looked up at Deeks with a look of astonishment, as the shaggy-haired man sang along with the first few bars of the song.

"You're kidding me…You like the Beach Boys!"

"_Like_ the Beach Boys?" Deeks replied, as a smirk began to tug at the edges of his mouth. "I'm Brian Wilson's long lost cousin." Deeks joked. Kensi laughed.

Kensi turned in her seat to check on Alyssa. She found the little girl dancing in place in her seat. The brunette couldn't help but laugh at the little girl.

"Rock on little surfer girl!" Deeks cheered, as he spied the little girls festivities through the rear-view mirror. Kensi laughed again, and cheered as well.

"…We'll all be gone for the Summer! We're on Safari to stay…tell the teacher we're surfing. Surfin' U.S.A." Deeks and Kensi sang together.

Kensi looked up a little bit later, and noticed that they had missed a turn-off. "Deeks, we missed our turn-off." She informed him, a little worried.

"We're not going that way this time, Kens." He told her, looking over the top of his shades.

"Why not? Isn't that where _you_ usually go?" she asked. She was a little bit confused about their destination at this point.

"Yeah, it is. But right now, all the good ocean is in Malibu." He said, with a grin. Kensi rolled her eyes at Deeks.

"Right, plus that's where all the _pretty_ blond bimbos hang out this time of year." She teased. She hoped that he would not hear the angst that was also in her voice-for while she was only kidding; a part of her somehow remained serious.

"True enough. Except I'm more into _brunettes_." He put a slight deal more emphasis on the last part of the sentence—hoping that she would get the point, and respond in a positive way to it.

The Beach Boys song, _Wouldn't It Be Nice_, began to play from the car's speakers.

Kensi's heart skipped a couple of beats when she saw, or thought she saw, that he was looking at her when he mentioned liking brunettes. _Was that meant for me? Does he mean he wants me? Oh, I wish I knew for sure._

Suddenly she realized that she was still staring at him—mesmerized by his witty charm. "What?" Deeks asked, a little confused.

Kensi blushed, and quickly turned her head away to hide her embarrassment from the shaggy-haired surfer. "S-sorry." She replied, her cheeks turning red.

_Well, not quite the reaction that I was going for, but it'll do._ At least it wasn't her usual 'Eww, you're such a pig' remark. Maybe there was hope.

"…You know its gonna make it that much better, when we can say goodnight and stay together…" Deeks began to sing along with the CD once more.

"Oh wouldn't it be nice!" The CD continued to play.

They finally arrived at the beach a little while later, and as they stood next to the car waiting for Deeks to finish untying his surfboard-Kensi began putting sunscreen on Alyssa.

"Hey, Kens—catch!" Deeks tossed the car keys to the brunette a minute or so later. "Pop the trunk for me, and get the go-bags out for me."

"A _please_ would be nice, ya know." She told him as she moved around to the back of the car.

Deeks rolled his eyes, and propped his surfboard up, gently, against the side of his car. "Okay…_Please_."

"Thank you. Wasn't so hard was it?" she teased him. Kensi unlocked the trunk of the Chevy Malibu, and retrieved the two go-bags just as Deeks had instructed.

Deeks shook his head, and mumbled something under his breath. Then the trio headed down into the sand dunes.

Alyssa ran out ahead of Kensi and Deeks onto the long stretch of sand that was the beach. She stopped about halfway, and stared out at the vast blue of the Pacific Ocean—wonder and awe filled her innocent little eyes. "Wow!" she exclaimed with wonder.

"Sure is something, isn't it squirt?" Deeks mused, as he stepped up beside the little girl. He stuck his surfboard into the sand nearby, and helped Kensi quickly setup their spot—beach blankets and everything.

Kensi slipped her sandals off, and pushed them to one side. Then she dropped the Hawaiian mini-skirt she'd been wearing, and then her top—revealing the two-piece bikini hidden underneath.

Alyssa ran to a spot just a few feet away, armed with the shovel and pail set that Deeks had brought her and began constructing sand castles.

Deeks nearly lost it right then and there when he finally caught sight of the sexy little bikini that his partner was wearing. He suddenly felt light-headed, and weak in the knees.

Kensi caught the look that Deeks was giving her, and decided to continue their little game from earlier. She winked at the shaggy-haired man. "See something you like, Shaggy?" she asked, in a very sexily seductive voice.

Deeks tried to speak, but it was no use. He was tongue-tied, and couldn't make his voice work for anything. He couldn't help but undress her even more with his eyes.

He shook his head finally, and was able to regain at least some of his former composure.

Kensi new that her ploy was working like a charm. He was almost drooling on himself—that made her laugh a little on the inside. She knew it wouldn't be long before she had him begging for release. _Wait! What am I doing? Why am I trying to seduce my partner? Is it really possible? Could I really be falling for him?_ All of these questions ran through her mind as she lowered herself down onto the over-sized beach blanket.

Deeks was now in full control of himself, more or less, and now it was his turn to _play_. "Throw me the bottle of Suntan oil from my bag will you."

Kensi retrieved the bottle of oil from his go-bag, and tossed it to him.

"Think I'll try catching a few waves before all the other surfers start showing up." He stripped off his t-shirt in front of Kensi, and tossed it down on the beach blanket. He began to slowly slather the suntan oil onto his skin, while watching Kensi's reaction at the same time.

Kensi's heart began to beat rapidly in her chest as she watched Deeks applying the suntan oil to his well-chiseled upper body. He was so lean and muscular, and in just a few seconds she had memorized every curve, every line, every scar, and every little stray hair that could be found on him.

Her imagination started to run wild as she pictured all the _intimate_ things that they would do for each other—if they ever got their hands on one another. She felt a certain heat begin to build up, and then the insides of her thighs began to ache. She moaned without thinking, and then suddenly she was snapped back to reality by quiet laughter.

She opened her eyes, and saw Deeks smiling down at her through his sunglasses. She blushed bright red. He tossed the bottle of suntan oil back to her, and winked. "I think we're even." He smirked.

She uttered a low growl in his direction as he walked towards the water's edge, and the waves that waited just beyond. _Deeks you bastard—just wait til I get you alone._ She shook her head, and dismissed her previous thoughts from her mind. _Get a grip on yourself Kensi. If you let this go too far, he'll never let you live it down. Never!_

Some time later Kensi and Alyssa were splashing around down in the water while watching Deeks surf some gnarly waves. The two girls cheered wildly as Deeks expertly somersaulted off of a breaking wave, and stuck the landing as easily as an Olympic gymnast performing a floor routine.

"WooHoo!" Kensi pumped her fists in the air, and Alyssa did the same—hopping up and down in the surf. They laughed at each other.

Then without warning Alyssa got just a little too close to a breaking wave, and the surf caught and pulled her under.

"Alyssa!" Kensi screamed as she rushed into the surf—frantically searching for signs of the little girl. Nothing. "Alyssa!"

Deeks was coming in towards the shore on a shallow wave, and just happened to see the whole incident. "Alyssa!" he yelled as he dove off the edge of his surfboard.

He came up a few seconds later with his arms wrapped tightly around the little girl, who was sputtering for air as they came up. "I got her." Deeks called to Kensi.

Kensi pushed her way through smaller, incoming waves to reach Deeks' side. "Are you alright? Are you hurt?" she asked the little girl. "I am so, so sorry." She apologized. "I took my eyes off her for just a second."

"She's okay now." Deeks reassured his partner. "She's okay—aren't you squirt?"

Alyssa blinked several times, and then looked up at Deeks and then at Kensi. "Can-Can we do that again!" she asked, excitedly, as if she had just been on the world's greatest roller coaster.

Deeks blew out a sigh, and then laughed a short little laugh. "No, I think we've had enough scares for one day." He told the little girl.

"I agree." Kensi said with a nod.

Deeks, Kensi, and Alyssa walked along the water's edge—just enjoying the sights and sounds of the ocean. It was later in the afternoon, and all three of them were exhausted from their day of fun in the sun.

They had had a wonderful Oceanside seafood lunch earlier, and then Deeks had treated them all to a snow cone dessert from the little snow cone shack just up the beach. The place just happened to be owned by his old friend Benny.

Now, Alyssa ran ahead of the two adults to chase after a couple of seagulls that had landed just a little ways up the beach from where they were.

"Don't go too far sweetie." Kensi called after the little girl. She was still a little worried that Alyssa might get pulled back under another wave.

"Just let her go." Deeks said quietly. "Let her have her fun." He added.

"I worry about her though." Kensi admitted quietly to Deeks. This whole experience so far had been so far out of her element, and she was doing things she'd never thought she'd do—feeling things she'd never thought she'd actually feel in her lifetime.

"I know." Deeks replied. "And it actually looks really good on you." He added, very sincerely.

"What's that?" she asked, while listening to the delighted giggles and laughter of the little girl playing in the surf just ahead of them.

"You know…the whole motherhood thing." He explained.

Kensi blushed at the complement. "It's not like that—not really."

"Well, whatever it is…it looks good on you." He repeated his earlier complement to her.

They looked up, and saw Alyssa kneeling in the sand near the water's edge. She wasn't moving, but they could tell that she was holding something in her hands.

"Hey, watcha got there Squirt!" Deeks called ahead, but got no reply from the little girl. "Guess she can't hear me." Deeks shrugged.

"No, I think it's more than that." Kensi said slowly.

Finally, the two adults came up behind the little girl. They saw that she was holding a conch shell that she had just found. She also looked kind of sad as she knelt in the sand.

"What's the matter?" Deeks asked softly—kneeling down beside her. "You feeling alright?"

The little girl shook her head at Deeks, as tiny tears rolled silently down her cheeks. Deeks stared down at the conch shell in Alyssa's hands, and thought to himself for a moment. Then he suddenly understood what it all meant.

He remembered back to when he and Kensi had searched the Commander's home for clues after Alyssa's abduction, and then his own. In Alyssa's bedroom he had seen another conch shell, just like the one she held now, and it had been written on with black sharpie marker. It had said: _To my little Minnow. When you hear the ocean's roar, and think of me—I'll be thinking of you._

It all made sense now. He knew, from reading the Commander's file, that he had taken Alyssa into his home when she was only a year old. She normally stayed with the Commander's mother while he was off on deployment. At some point, as she got older and began to miss him when he was away, he found her that Conch Shell while out on deployment. He must have written those words on it as a way of helping Alyssa cope with his being gone so much.

"You miss your _dad_ don't you?" Deeks asked softly, looking from the Conch shell in her hand to her face. She nodded quietly, and then raised the conch shell up to her ear. "To my little Minnow. When you hear the ocean's roar, think of me—Cause I'll be thinking of you." Deeks repeated the words from the other Conch shell softly to the little girl. The Commander's words echoed through her memories, and more silent tears stained her tiny cheeks.

Deeks looked up at Kensi with a pair of sad blue eyes. "She misses the Commander—her _dad_." Deeks told the brunette somberly. Kensi knew what Deeks was thinking, but she wasn't sure that that was really safe ground to tread on right then. It was still a very tender issue with her. There were tears forming in her eyes as well. "Kens." Deeks said firmly, still looking up at his partner.

Kensi nodded finally, sucked in a deep breath, and then knelt down next to the little girl. Deeks backed away a little bit to give the two girls some privacy.

"You know, I lost my dad when I was little too." Kensi said softly. "I miss him everyday." Fresh tears sprang into Kensi's eyes, as she spoke of her beloved father. "I loved him so much."

After a few more emotional minutes the two girls hugged each other, and then Kensi helped Alyssa up to her feet once again.

Deeks couldn't help but smile at the two girls. He could tell that Kensi and Alyssa had bonded with each other over the love they'd had for their _fathers._ Alyssa still carried the new conch shell she'd found in her hands.

Deeks put an arm around Kensi's shoulder, and pulled her close as they continued their little walk down the beach.

"You'll have to explain the whole conch shell thing to me later." Kensi whispered in Deeks' ear as they continued to walk.

Deeks chuckled, and gave her a small nod. "Later it is." He agreed.

…**TBC…**

…_**Don't Miss the Next Emotional Chapter 'Monday, Monday'**_**…**

…**P.S. The next chapter is really going to see the romance between Deeks and Kensi heat up big time. So be on the lookout everyone…**

**As always all you guys' reviews and comments are so very welcomed and appreciated, and I just can't thank you guys enough for your support!**

**READ ON!**


	4. Monday, Monday

**...Author's Note: I'm only 24 years old, but I have an affinity for older music, that said-The reason for the title of this chapter being **_**Monday, Monday**_**—well if you've ever heard the song by the Mamas and the Papas, it **_**should**_** be pretty obvious by the end of the chapter…**

**I hope that you guys enjoy this newest chapter as much as I enjoyed writing it. I have to warn you guys, though; it does get a little 'hot' in my opinion—so watch out.**

Deeks gently tucked Alyssa into Kensi's bed after they got home from the beach later in the evening. She was exhausted, and had fallen asleep in the car on the way back to Kensi's place. They spent time carefully slipping her out of the bathing suit, and into one of her nightgowns.

Deeks had had to avert his eyes while Kensi did most of the undressing and re-dressing, but when it came to the actual 'tucking-in' and kissing her on the forehead goodnight—Deeks brought his A-game.

It warmed her heart to watch the shaggy-haired man act so 'fatherly' towards the slumbering little girl.

"It looks good on you," she whispered from behind him.

"What's that?" he asked, standing up from the side of the bed.

"The whole 'fatherhood' thing." She replied, remembering his words from the beach earlier. Deeks chuckled in response.

"You weren't so bad yourself." He replied in kind. "You were…great actually—with her I mean." Kensi blushed, unseen by her partner. "I think she really likes you, Kens."

"I think she really likes you _too_." Kensi replied softly, smiling a warm smile. Deeks smiled too. "She really grows on you." He pointed out.

Kensi nodded in agreement. "Yeah, I guess she does."

After another minute or so, they decided to back out of the room. Deeks reached to switch off the table lamp on the nightstand, and then they both took turns planting gentle goodnight kisses on the little girls' forehead.

Kensi was the first one out of the bedroom, and then Deeks followed soon after. 

Kensi stood in the living room thinking to herself about the events of the day when Deeks walked up behind her.

All day long they had teased each other in secret, and constantly stoked the glowing coals that existed between them—the knowledge always present in their minds that an uncontrollable fire was imminent. Now they were alone, and it was only a matter of time. He stepped up behind her, and began to massage her shoulders.

The natural warmth his body exuded made her imagination run wild. Her head swam deep in thoughts of what it would feel like to have her body held against his as the sources of their heat finally came together. She imagined the two of them, dripping with sweat and passion, and wrapped around each other in positions of intimacy moaning each other's name in the heat of the moment. She felt herself shudder, and suddenly she was back in the real world.

In that moment all Kensi was aware of was that she wanted him. She _needed_ him.

They were facing each other now. He stared deep into her eyes, and she into his. Both were thinking the same thoughts, and both wanted the same thing. He tried to speak, but no words were needed here. She silenced him with a finger to his lips, and gently pressed her body against his—their heat intensifying beyond comprehension as their sexes touched each other through the clothes they wore.

Deeks sucked in a sudden breath at her touch. His eyes were closed and he fought to suppress the groan that was building in his throat. He felt himself harden against her, and it was more than he could stand. With anyone else he would have almost immediately lost control of himself, but this was Kensi, a woman he'd practically loved since day one, and she deserved better than that.

She felt his erection press against her own hotness, and it made her shudder all over. She bit down on her bottom lip, and felt her body arch forward involuntarily—wanting, no _needing_ to be closer to him.

His hands moved slowly down to her buttocks, and his grip was gentle but firm, on either side, as he held her in place. Then it happened—the kiss.

They kissed, and it was like nothing that either of them had ever experienced before. It was deep and passionate, hot and consuming, and threatened to end them before they'd even started. "Kens," He swallowed a hard lump that had formed in his throat, and struggled to maintain some semblance of control. "God, I've wanted _this_…wanted _you_, for so long." He breathed against her lips once they'd parted slightly—both desperate for air. "And now being here, like this, with you just feels so good—I want _more._"

Kensi felt his grip on her buttocks tighten with his words, and his voice came out with an unsteady quiver to it.

A soft whimper escaped her own throat as his erection rubbed against her tender sex. The area at the insides of her thighs was so hot and slick at this point, and only now did the intense aching that she felt really register in her mind.

He was hesitant though, and she knew why—it was the very same reason that she had pushed him away on so many other occasions before this.

"Deeks," She breathed. "Take me, please—I can't stand it. I'm so hot right now, I-" She stopped suddenly, when their lips met once again.

He seized her lips with his own, and drew her up into another death-defying kiss of such unimaginable magnitude, that by the time they broke for air—they were both shaking where they stood. He rested his head near her ear. "Promise me," he begged quietly, his voice thick with emotion. "Promise me this won't change us…that we'll still be us. That you won't hate me after-"

"I promise." She said quickly, drowning out the rest of his words. "I promise…Deeks, please."

Without another seconds' thought, he slipped his hands beneath the fabric of the over-sized t-shirt she wore to conceal her bathing suit, and began their journey upwards. They moved past the small of her back, and proceeded further up until they reached the tie that held her bikini top in place. The action caused tingling sensations all over the surface of her skin, and made her arch against him.

"Oh, D-Deeks." She moaned his name. It came out as more of a stifled murmur though.

"Your top—take it off. Now." He instructed her, breathing heavily as he fidgeted feverishly with the tie at her back. She complied, and quickly tugged the t-shirt up over her head—tossing it to the floor without care.

"Now yours." She panted, as she grasped at the edges of his _Surfer Dude _t-shirt. She tugged at it mercilessly, and pulled it all the way up to his shoulders before realizing that he needed to lift his arms for it to go any further.

"Damnit." He swore under his breath, at the unrelenting bikini strap. _What the hell is this? It's like one of those impenetrable sailor's knots they used to use on pirate ships back in the day. Who are you trying to keep out—Freddy Krueger!_

"Deeks, please—your shirt, I need-" Her breathing was heavy, and thick with want as she struggled desperately to get his shirt off of him. "Screw it!" he said finally. He lifted his arms, and waited as Kensi pulled the shirt up over his head—tossing it to the floor with hers once she was done with it.

Now shirtless, Deeks reached into the side pocket of the cargo shorts he'd changed into before leaving the beach, and fished out an old pocketknife. This was a special pocketknife that he had acquired while on an undercover assignment with the L.A.P.D.

She stood in awe, and marveled at his chiseled physique as he stood there in front her fumbling with something in his hand. It made her breath catch in her throat when she noticed the tiny beads of sweat that already dotted his bare chest. And even more mesmerizing, was how they seemed to glisten even in the dim light of the room they were standing in.

"Wha-What're you doing?" she finally managed to ask, upon seeing the knife blade appear in his hand.

"Let's just say, I'm gonna owe you a new top." He replied hastily.

With that he wrapped his arms around her back, once more, and this time used the edge of his knife blade to sever the knot that had so quickly become the bane of his existence.

Kensi gasped as she felt the tight strappings from her bikini top spring back to their original form. "Yes." Deeks whooped with joy. He let the accursed top finally fall away to the floor by their feet, and then returned the life-saving knife to his side pocket.

He cupped a hand around each of her supple breasts, and her nipples became even perkier at the tenderness of his touch. He dropped his head down then, and suckled and nipped at each one in turn—pleasuring her to the fullest extent of his power.

She gasped for air, and whimpered as Deeks toyed with her breasts—switching between suckling and nipping playfully at their tender pink tips. "D-Deeks…O-Oooh, that feels good." she gasped, whimpering for more each time he chose to stop. Then suddenly, she felt herself shudder with her first mini-orgasm. It was like a warm, exciting taste of what was to come.

At last, he lifted his head back up to hers. He looked at her delightedly, and licked his lips. "You like that?" he teased her. All she could do at hat point was nod her approval. He chuckled against the side of her neck, as he traced a gentle trail of kisses down one side. "Good, and that's only the beginning." He whispered in her ear.

He undid the little mini-skirt wrapped loosely around her hips with ease, and then he let it fall to the ground. Then he slid his hands down inside her bikini bottom, and found an insanely intense amount of warmth waiting for him.

Kensi whimpered as she felt his hands move nearer and nearer to her apex—she wasn't sure how much more of this torture she would be able to endure at this rate. "Deeks, I-I can't…please." She begged.

Deeks lowered himself to the floor, pulling her panties down with him until she could easily step out of them. Once they were done away with, he traced a line of soft kisses up her leg, around her thigh from the outside to the inside, and then he teased her sex with his tongue.

He flicked his tongue playfully in and out of her—pushing and teasing her all while listening to her tortured cries of pleasure. Then when she finally began to twirl her fingers in his shaggy hair, he felt his own self-control beginning to wane.

He raised himself back up, and pulled her close for a kiss. By now though, she had had enough of his torture, and decided to dish out some of her own. He broke their kiss, a few seconds in, when he suddenly felt her hand moving around inside his shorts.

Somehow she had managed to work the fastenings and the belt loose without him realizing that she was actually doing anything. The cargo shorts fell to the floor around his feet, and then she slid her hand down inside his boxers until she found it—his erection.

He grunted at the feel of her grip around him. "No…fair…cheater." He muttered under his breath.

She chuckled at his reaction to her revenge. "Doesn't feel so good…on the other end, does it?" she teased, between passionate kisses. He shook his head helplessly.

He could feel himself getting harder the more she played with it, until finally he could take no more. The air around them now was hot and sticky from their growing sexual tensions, and would have suffocated anyone else—but for them, it only fueled the raging fire.

Without warning Deeks grabbed Kensi's hands and pulled them away. Then he took her by the waist, and pulled her close—pressing his erection, still partially masked by his boxers, into her slick, hotness.

"Deeks, wha…Ooh, Ugh…D-Deeks, please." She whimpered at the feel of his hardened sex pressed against hers. The sensations alone, threatened to send her over the edge early.

Deeks kissed Kensi gently on the lips, and released his grip on her waist a little bit. "Enough playing." He whispered softly. "Let's end this."

Kensi nodded with pleading eyes at the shaggy-haired man. "I'm-I'm ready…I want you so bad." She told him, as she reached down and grabbed the edges of his boxers. Together, they managed to relieve themselves of the last petty obstacle that stood in the way of their joining.

Deeks led the beautiful brunette over to the sofa next. He sat down first, and then she crawled up facing him, and straddled his mid-section. Then with gentle hands, on her waist, he guided her down over his throbbing erection.

She gasped audibly as he filled her completely. "Deeks…Oh, Hmm, yes." He grunted as he waited for her to relax around him. She wiggled her hips against his to let him know when she was ready—and with that their _dance_ had begun.

Their rhythm was slow at first, but after a few minutes a quicker pace ensued. The hypnotic sound of flesh slapping against flesh became like a sort of natural metronome—helping them keep time, and always pushing them further and further on their intensifying ride.

"D-Deeks…f-faster. Please, faster." She begged finally. He gripped both sides of her hips firmly, and helped her rise and fall, rise and fall—faster and faster. "Y-Yes…just like that, oh baby—please, please don't stop. Don't stop!" she cried, as he complied and increased their tempo as per her instruction.

Their ride was intense, and their coils slowly tightened to their max as they pushed each other closer and closer towards the edge—the finish line slowly coming into view on the horizon.

"Ooh, De…baby, I'm gonna—I'm gonna cum." She panted, as she felt her release beginning to creep up on her. "Push—push it harder. Push me harder…Oh, God!"

The sound of her cries of pleasure caused every last ounce of self-control he'd been holding onto go right out the window.

Deeks pulled Kensi forward, and seized her lips with his own—burying his tongue inside. He drove his shaft into her hard and fast, pushing the two of them down the last leg of the race.

"Deeeeks…Ooohh. Yes, yes—Ooh, Shit!" she gasped, as the world around her seemed to disappear into a blinding white haze. Her entire body was rocked by the intense, never-ceasing waves of pleasure that came with her release.

One last thrust, and Deeks found his own intense climax as well. "Damn…K-Kensi." He gasped as his own body shuddered, and his seed shot into her with great force.

She collapsed against his chest sweaty, and breathing heavily—her heart beating erratically in time with his. He stroked her soft hair gently as he waited for his vitals to come back down.

Then she said something that he would never forget as long as he lived. It was partially in response to his earlier pleadings from just before their earth-shattering interlude began.

She nestled up close, and rested her head against his chest. "I-I could never hate you Deeks…_I love you_." Her voice was soft and quiet, and strained from exhaustion.

A tear rolled down Deeks' cheek, and he planted a gentle kiss on the top of her head. "I love you too Fern." He whispered in her ear.

But sleep had already taken her, and would soon take him as well. 

Kensi awoke the next morning, Monday, still on the sofa covered in the throw blanket that had once been draped over the back of the sofa. She stretched herself out, and almost immediately realized that Deeks was missing.

She sat up, pulling the blanket around to cover her exposed flesh, and looked around the room for signs of Deeks. There were none, but memories of the previous night's steamy affair still lingered fresh in her mind.

His clothes were gone, and hers were folded neatly and left on the coffee table for her. On top of the pile of clothes, she found a small note.

_Good Morning Beautiful. Don't worry. I just ran home to shower and change clothes for work—see you there. P.S. I left some fresh pancakes on the stove for you. They may need to be reheated a little bit. Oh, and Coffee'll be waiting for you at your desk._

Kensi couldn't help but smile at the sweet little note that he had left her. She stood up afterward, and decided that she would jump into the shower first.

"Alyssa sweetie!" Kensi called from the sofa. A minute or so later the bedroom door opened, and the little girl stepped out into the living room.

Kensi was a little shocked by what she saw. Alyssa was already bathed and dressed for the day. "How long have you been awake?" Kensi asked.

"Marty woke me up." Alyssa replied innocently. "We had pancakes for breakfast, with chocolate chips—and orange juice." She added happily.

Kensi smiled back.

"We saved you some too." Alyssa told her. "Marty said you were sleepy, and not to wake you up—so I didn't."

Kensi nodded at the little girl. "Thank you for not waking me up." She told the little girl. "Come here, and watch some TV while I get ready."

Alyssa did as she was told, and settled herself down on the sofa in front of the TV. Kensi picked out a cartoon channel for her, and the scurried off to the bathroom. 

When Kensi and Alyssa finally arrived at the mission a little later, they were still a little early. Deeks was in the gym working out, and Eric and Nell were up at Ops working out some technical bugs from a new computer program that they had created together. Other than that though, the place was quiet and still.

Kensi deposited her things by her desk, and collected the still piping hot cup of coffee waiting for her on top.

"I need you to stay in here, and wait for me to come back." Kensi told Alyssa as she seated the little girl behind her desk. Kensi fished a coloring book and some crayons out of her bag and gave them to Alyssa. "This should keep you plenty busy until then." Kensi said with a smile.

"Yes ma'am." The little girl replied sweetly.

A few minutes later Kensi walked into the gym, and found Deeks pounding away at the heavy bag. Now, seeing him dressed in faded shorts and a sleeveless T-shirt made her shudder. _God, he looks so sexy right now._

It was strange too, how she was now able to let herself think such things without flinching or turning away out of embarrassment.

"Morning Sunshine!" Deeks greeted the brunette happily upon seeing her enter the gym. "Sleep well?' he asked, with a smirk.

"As if you didn't know." She replied, as she moved towards him.

Deeks shrugged. "Maybe I don't." he countered. Then he stopped punching the bag, and turned towards her. "We still good?" he asked next, in a lower voice.

She stepped up close, and stood on tiptoes to kiss him. "That answer you're question?" she said, with a wink, after breaking their kiss.

"Works for me." He said with a smile. "Are we telling the others…you know, about us?" he asked honestly.

"Hell no!" Kensi replied quickly. "Hetty…would never allow it, and neither would Sam or Callen." She explained.

"I see." Deeks said with a nod. "So keeping it on the down-low, for now."

Kensi nodded. "For now." She agreed.

"I just need to try and keep my hands off of you till after work—and I'll be golden." He mused aloud.

"Hey, we're professionals right?" She reached out as she turned to head back to Alyssa, and smacked Deeks hard on the behind—there was a loud SMACK that followed.

"Yeah, I gue-Ow!" Kensi kept on walking—though she would have loved to have seen the look on his face, she couldn't chance it just yet. "Okay, that's so not helping Kens!" he called after her, as she exited the gym area. 

Several hours later as the sun began to dip below the horizon, the team was getting ready to close the Op that they had started earlier that morning. They had been watching a local club called the _Maestro_ for the last couple of hours. According to their Intel a known terrorist leader was supposed to be meeting _someone_ to make an exchange.

Callen and Sam were sitting in Sam's Challenger just outside the club waiting for the right moment to make their move. Deeks was inside the club, posing as a bartender, and looking a little nervous to be honest.

Where was Kensi? Well, the _someone_, whom the team had apprehended earlier, had turned out to be a _woman_. Yes, Kensi's role in the Op was pretending to be the person meeting with the terrorist.

"Everyone all set?" Callen said into his earwig.

"All set here." Kensi answered first, seriously.

"Yeah, me too—I guess." Deeks replied next.

"Good. Just sit tight until we see—wait, wait. There he is." Callen said, pointing to a man who had just walked up to the front door of the club. Sam saw him too.

"Okay, heads up you two—Hassan is in the building. Look alive." Sam radioed to Deeks and Kensi.

"Roger that." Kensi replied. 

Inside the club, Kensi was sitting at a table near the back—partially hidden, but still within Deeks' line-of-sight. They had dressed her in a real provocative looking outfit, and it made Deeks a little bit uncomfortable—mostly because of all the looks that the beautiful brunette was getting from the guys on the floor.

"If another guy undresses you with his eyes, I swear to God-" Deeks started.

"You'll do what?" Kensi dared him to continue. "Besides, its not like you're not doing it too." She pointed out.

"That's a double-negative Kens, which is bad grammar. Speaking of which, where did you say you went to school again?" he taunted her.

"Oh shut up Deeks." She threw back.

"Hey, focus you two—Hassan's coming your way. He just entered the building, so look alive." Sam said over the earwig radios.

"Yeah, I see him." Deeks said into his earwig. "He's looking your way, Kens—see him?"

"I see him." She replied quietly. After a few minutes the man finally approached the place where Kensi sat. He began to chat her up, making it look like just another man hitting on a pretty girl.

Some of the things that he said to her, though, made Deeks' skin crawl and his blood boil. It also made him want to kick the stuffing out of the guy.

"So, why don't you and I go in back and…talk some more. Hmm?" The man said with a weird smile at Kensi. "Sure, why not." She replied, with a shrug.

Deeks finished pouring a drink for a customer. "I don't think that's such a good idea, Kens." Deeks said. No answer. He knew that she had heard him, but was ignoring him—which was typical of Kensi while on the job.

The man put his arm around Kensi, as she stood up to follow him to the clubs' back rooms. A few seconds later the two of them disappeared into the back.

"Eric, tell me we have surveillance in the back." Deeks said into the earwig. "Um, no we don't." Eric answered, slowly.

"You're kidding me!" Deeks struggled to keep his emotions in check while in front of the others.

"Sorry." Eric apologized. "They don't use cameras in the back, so there's nothing for me to hack into."

"Great. This just gets better and better." Deeks said with a sigh. "Callen, you guys want me to follow'em?" He was already moving to head after them, but then he was stopped.

"Negative Deeks." Callen replied. "Just stay put. No one moves until Kensi give the signal. Okay?"

"Kens, everything okay back there?" he asked over the radios. There was still no answer. "Guys, I don't like this."

"Um, guys…someone just entered the club—someone we know." Eric said over the earwig radios. He sounded a little worried to be honest.

Deeks pretended to wipe down the bar, and then he removed a few empty, used glasses and put them away to be washed later. "Who?" Deeks asked quietly.

"Juan Alvarez." Nell informed them, before Eric could finish. "What!" Deeks' head snapped around quickly. "Where?"

"To your right. He just passed the bar, and he's headed-" Eric began.

"I see him." Deeks replied suddenly, his eyes narrowing at the sight of the man. They watched him closely for a few minutes to see what he would do, and then a few seconds later Alvarez began to head towards the back rooms.

"Hey guys. Something about this whole thing, suddenly doesn't feel right." Deeks told the rest of the team, as he watched Alvarez disappear into the back rooms. "Deeks, stay put. Sam and I are coming in now." Callen told the liaison officer over the radios.

"Kens, Alvarez is headed your way. Be on the lookout." Deeks warned his partner. She still wasn't answering him.

Then something happened—something that made Deeks' blood run cold with fear as he listened to the sounds coming through from his partner's earwig transmitter.

A door opened, and someone stepped into the room that Kensi and Hassan were already in. "You!" Came Kensi's voice suddenly, with shock evident in the sound of it. "How is this-"

"Possible?" Alvarez finished her sentence for her. "Simple. I wanted you here." He told her.

"We've been setup." Deeks said quickly into his earwig. "I'll bet Alvarez planned this whole thing—I'm moving in now." Deeks told Callen and Sam.

Suddenly there was a loud THWACK! And then a crashing sound that came from Kensi's earwig. It scared Deeks, and made him jump.

"Kensi!" he shouted as he leapt over the bar, and bolted for the backrooms. "We're right behind you!" Callen and Sam called out to the shaggy-haired man. Deeks pulled out his sidearm as he reached the first door.

**…TBC…**

**…Yeah, I know—It's a cliffhanger! So be on the lookout for the next exciting chapter _Man Down_…**

**…Also, for those of you who are also reading my other stories—_do not lose heart._ New chapters will be posted soon. Right now, I'm just currently working out a few bugs in each. So, please bare with me for just a little bit longer on those. Thanks, and Enjoy! …**


	5. Man Down

**Author's Note: I just want to thank everyone who has read and reviewed my stories so far. I want to encourage you guys to continue to do so. You guys are so great, and without your support I would not be able to continue writing these stories. Thanks again so much! ENJOY!**

**Author's Note 2: I feel I should mention that when I originally wrote this chapter, I had Deeks actually take a bullet for Kensi instead of being hit by a car. It was only a shoulder wound, so he was up and going shortly afterward. If for some reason you guys think I should post the original instead let me know, and maybe I will-it is a great deal different from this current version.  
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**Also, I know that this chapter is not quite as long as the first four; but there is a reason for that-so just bear with me. I promise, your patience will be greatly rewarded.**

At the hospital, the doors to the emergency room flew open and Deeks was wheeled inside on a gurney. Kensi wasn't too far behind either. There was blood on his head, and on his clothes—any other time Kensi would have said he looked like hell.

The two EMTs were still by his side working on him as another Doctor joined them upon entry. The redheaded female doctor immediately began asking questions as she quickly slipped on a pair of latex gloves.

"What've we got?" Dr. Paisley asked, as she began to work with the nurses on Deeks.

The two EMTs filled her in on the situation, and also gave her some of the info on Deeks that they had collected from Kensi earlier in the parking lot. "His name's Marty Deeks—L.A.P.D.—involved in a hit-and-run just fifteen minutes ago—at least. He sustained multiple contusions, and a possible concussion."

Some nearby nurses were busily hooking up an IV for Deeks, as well as some other things.

Dr. Paisley looked him over as she began cutting away the rest of his clothing away. "Looks like he might have some broken ribs—one of them seems to have punctured the skin, here."

Suddenly, several different machines began to sound off in the room—that started a mad scramble all at once. "We're losing him!" Dr. Paisley shouted. "Someone get me a crash cart in here now!"

"Deeks." The sounds that Kensi was hearing at that point had her completely terrified. She tried to enter the emergency room behind them, but a middle-aged black held her back. "I'm sorry Honey, but you can't go in there." The nurse told Kensi.

"I-I have to," Kensi replied, trying to push past the black nurse. "Please, he's my partner." She almost begged.

The nurse held steady, and looked into Kensi's eyes. There she could see that Kensi and the man on the gurney were more than just partners. She smiled sympathetically at the brunette. "Look, Dr. Paisley is very good at what she does. Your _friend_ is in good hands—everything's gonna be fine." The nurse told her sweetly.

Kensi finally stopped fighting it. "You'll let me know-"

"As soon as I know something, sweetie, you'll be the first to know." The nurse assured her.

Kensi sat outside in the waiting room an hour and a half later. She was beside herself, and in danger of losing her mind at any minute. This was insane. She hadn't heard anything since they took Deeks back to surgery. She was getting more and more worried.

"Kensi." Nell entered the waiting room at that moment carrying Alyssa in her arms. "I got here as soon as I could. Any news yet?"

Nell reached Kensi's side a few seconds later, and handed over the little girl, who looked a little upset. Nell then sat down in the chair next to Kensi.

Kensi shook her head, as she took the little girl into her lap. "No. Nothing since they took him back to surgery." She told the young tech analyst. Nell nodded.

Alyssa turned, and wrapped her arms around Kensi's neck—hugging her tight as a light whimper escaped the little girl's throat. "What's the matter?" Kensi asked softly, trying to hide how upset she really was.

"She snuck into Ops while we weren't looking, and heard the whole thing." Nell explained quietly. "She heard Deeks get hit, and you-" she paused for a brief moment, and then finally mouthed the word 'crying'. Kensi nodded. "It really scared her." Nell patted the little girl on the head. "I found her hiding under Deeks' desk. She was really shaken up."

"The bad man hurt Marty." Alyssa whimpered softly.

Kensi wrapped her own arms gently around the little girl, and hugged her back. "Shhhhh, its okay." Kensi told the little girl. "He's gonna be alright. Marty's gonna be alright—I promise."

Then the little girl surprised them. They all knew that she was really smart for her age, but what she said in that waiting room was a testament to just how smart and how aware she really was. "He wants me. Its my fault." Alyssa whimpered quietly.

Kensi hugged the little girl even more. "No, no. It's not your fault sweetie. You didn't hurt Marty—the bad man did."

Tears streaked down the little girl's cheeks, as she looked up at Kensi. "He hurt my daddy too." Alyssa remembered, with a soft hiccuping sound as she spoke.

"That wasn't your fault either." Nell said from beside them. "We'll get the bad man, you'll see." Kensi nodded in agreement with Nell's statement.

Several hours later, Kensi and Nell had been summoned back to the mission to meet with Hetty and the rest of the team. The two women walked into Ops, and found themselves face-to-face with Hetty.

Sam and Callen strolled into Ops, a few seconds later, after being summoned there as well.

"Now that we're all together," Hetty began. "I'd like to know what the hell happened?" Hetty was fuming about the results of the Op they'd just completed…or botched, depending on how one chose to look at it.

"I was thinking the same thing, Hetty." Callen agreed, looking across the room at Kensi and Nell. Sam was standing nearby, but like the ever-vigilant soldier he was—he chose to stay out of Hetty's line of sight.

"But, first things first," Hetty started. "What's the word on Mr. Deeks?" she asked. "I trust he's still with us."

Kensi nodded. "He's out of surgery, and resting in ICU. They say he's stable, for now. But he'll probably be out of it for a while." Kensi reported.

"Good to hear." Sam remarked. "We give him a hard time, but he's still one of us."

Hetty nodded. "Indeed, Mr. Hanna. And that is also another good reason we need to find Alvarez quickly." She pointed out. "Let us start, then, with what actually happened at that club."

Kensi nodded, and then sucked in a deep breath before speaking again. "When Hassan approached me at the club I immediately sensed that something was…off. When I told him that I was a 'stand-in' for the girl he was supposed to meet—he didn't seem even the least bit surprised."

"So you knew it was a trap?"

Kensi shook her head at the senior field agent. "No, but I had a feeling."

"That's why you went with him anyway." Sam mused aloud.

"Correct." Kensi replied. "He took me to one of the backrooms, and said we should wait for his associate." Kensi paused for a brief moment to collect her thoughts about the events that followed afterward.

"That's about the time her Com went dark." Eric pointed out, as he looked over some information displayed across his computer screen.

"Then Alvarez walked in. That's when I _knew_ we'd been setup. He said he knew we had Alyssa, and that if we handed her over peacefully—there would be no need for anymore unnecessary bloodshed." Kensi explained.

"What did _you_ say?" Callen asked, curiously, as he leaned against the table at the center of the room.

"I told him to go to hell!" Kensi snapped. "That's when things got out of hand." She added, looking down at the floor as she spoke.

"What happened?" Hetty asked, leaning forward where she stood at the head of the room.

"Well…" Kensi started, recalling the events that unfolded after she'd been taken back into the back rooms at the club.

_Deeks entered the dimly lit hallway that led to the backrooms. His sidearm was drawn, and held at the ready. He moved quickly, sweeping the area as he went as per protocol._

"_Kensi, give me a sign so I can find you." He said into his earwig, as he turned a second corner. SMASH! The sound came through his earwig loud and clear—he also heard it down the hallway just ahead._

_He darted towards a locked room just down to the left a little ways. "Kensi, hang on!" He reached for the door, but suddenly it flew open and knocked Deeks to the side. "Whoa, shi-"_

_Alvarez bolted from the room, and headed away down the hallway towards a back exit from the building. Deeks was vaguely aware of the sounds of a struggle and then movement heading away from his direction. _

_Deeks pulled himself up to his feet, and after shaking away the disorientation he felt-he stepped into the open room. He found Hassan sprawled out unconscious on the floor of the room._

_Deeks pulled out a pair of handcuffs, and quickly secured the unconscious man to a piece of heavy furniture. He then laid a finger against his earwig. "Hassan's been detained in room…4c—Kensi's in pursuit of Alvarez. I'm going after her." Deeks relayed the info to his other teammates, and then headed off to find Kensi again._

_Kensi followed Alvarez outside through a back exit, and into the rear parking lot. The lot was nearly full, and Kensi couldn't tell which way Alvarez had gone. "Don't be a coward!" Kensi called across the lot. She darted between the two nearest cars, and started looking for Alvarez._

"_I am no coward!" Alvarez called back._

"_Then face me like a man!" Kensi countered, as she moved past rows of cars looking everywhere, even underneath, for signs of Alvarez._

_Alvarez laughed. "Why? So you can kill me? I'm no idiot, you see, I know when I'm outmatched." He explained. "So, to face you one-on-one would simply be…ludicrous."_

_There was a brief silence that followed, and Kensi found herself standing in the area between two separate aisles of parked cars. She couldn't let him get away—she just couldn't._

"_You should know…you can't save her!" Alvarez called out tauntingly. "I'll find her no matter what."_

"_You'll have to kill me first." She spat angrily. She meant every last word—every last syllable._

_There was another brief pause, and then out of nowhere a car appeared at the end of aisle, headlights blazing, bearing down on the female NCIS Agent._

_Kensi spun around on her heel, and froze—blinded by the bright headlights now flashed in her eyes. At almost the very last second something miraculous happened. "Kensi!" A familiar voice floated into Kensi's ear, and then an even more familiar set of hands shoved her out of harm's way._

_Kensi rolled to safety as a loud THWACK sounded across the parking lot. Soon afterward, the car sped off out of the parking lot—disappearing into the night with its passenger Juan Alvarez._

"_Deeks!" Kensi cried out, as she pulled herself back onto her feet. She looked around, and then her eyes landed on her partner's unconscious body laying several yards away from where she stood. "Deeks." She breathed, as a wave of panic washed over her._

_She took off running towards him as fast as she could. "Man Down! Man Down!" she cried into her earwig transmitter. "Eric, Deeks is down—I need a rescue unit here now!" she said over the radio._

"_Read you loud and clear Kens. Help is on the way—ETA, ten minutes." Eric responded back over the radio. "I'm also notifying Sam and Callen." He added._

_Kensi reached her partner's side, and gently rolled him over onto his back. She checked for a pulse—he was still alive. There was some blood on one side of his head, and some blood staining the middle of his shirt. "Eric, contact L.A.P.D.—tell them we need an escort to the hospital." Kensi told the tech specialist over the radio. "Do it now."_

"_Stay with me partner." She pleaded in a quiet whisper, as she grasped one of his hands in her own. "Stay with me Deeks…please." _

"Now, Deeks is lying in the hospital because I…I screwed up." Kensi said solemnly, looking down at her feet.

"And Alvarez got away…again." Callen added, shaking his head with slight disappointment.

"Well, at least we've got Hassan." Sam pointed out. "He might be able to tell us where we can find Alvarez. We just have to break him a little."

Hetty shook her head, and thought in silence for a moment or two before speaking up again. "It seems that in light of recent events some changes need to be made." Hetty told the team. "Your relationship with the girl has obviously clouded your judgment much more so than I had anticipated—therefore I should assign another agent as her protective detail for the duration of this investigation."

"What, Hetty no." Kensi pleaded, her eyes becoming moist with emotion. "You can't do that, please." Kensi could not believe what she was hearing from her boss. She had just gotten to know the little girl, and absolutely loved her more than anything—and now Hetty was taking her away.

"But…I'm not going to." Hetty said at last. "Alvarez doesn't just want her dead. No, it would seem there's more to the puzzle than we thought; and we should probably keep her close by, just in case." Hetty narrowed her eyes at Kensi. "Keep her safe, Ms. Blye. We already have one of our people lying in a hospital—we _don't_ need another."

"Thank you Hetty." Kensi said, with a sigh of relief. "I won't let you down, I promise."

"Sam and I will head back to the boat shed. Maybe we can get our friend Hassan to talk." Callen told Hetty.

"Good idea." Hetty agreed, nodding in approval. "And you, Ms. Blye, need to go home, with Alyssa, and get some rest—I'll see you back here bright and early tomorrow morning." Hetty added, looking over at Kensi.

"What about Deeks?" Kensi asked. "I should be there with him. You know, in case he wakes up." That was where she really wanted to be right then—with Deeks at the hospital.

"Mr. Deeks isn't going anywhere soon. I'm sure he can survive one night without you." Hetty told the Female NCIS Agent.

Kensi nodded, and then turned and walked out of Ops.

Kensi reached the bottom of the staircase a few seconds later. Then she headed into the bullpen area where Alyssa was waiting for her. "Come on, let's go home." Kensi said quietly to the little girl.

"Can we go see Marty?" Alyssa asked, as she hopped out of Kensi's desk chair, and walked towards the brunette.

"Not tonight." Kensi replied. "But I promise we'll go see him first thing in the morning." Kensi added, with a sympathetic smile. "He'll be okay." She reassured the little girl once again.

Alyssa only nodded that she understood, and then she and Kensi walked outside to Kensi's SRX.

…**TBC…**

…**Watch Out for the next thrilling chapter **_**Alyssa's Secret**_**…**


	6. Alyssa's Secret

**Author's Note: I am sure that most of you will notice I left a few questions still unanswered at the end of this chapter, but I did so for a good reason. Everything will be explained in due time. I hope that you guys continue to enjoy this story as well as my other stories. **

**P.S. Don't forget to review/comment. All are welcome, and certainly do help in the creative processes. Thanks again! **

24 Hours Later…

Kensi walked into Deeks' hospital room. It was about mid-morning, and the sun was shining brightly through the room's two windows illuminating the otherwise drab colors inside.

The last day or so had been extremely trying for Kensi. She had not been allowed to visit her partner since the day he'd been brought in—Hetty's orders.

They had received a call earlier in the morning that Deeks was finally awake, and Hetty had said that Kensi could finally go see her partner.

Deeks saw her come in, and immediately tried to sit up more than he needed to. "Kens…Ow, ow. Nope can't do _that_." He mused aloud, as he settled back a bit.

"I came as soon as the doctor said you were awake." Kensi said quietly as she approached the bed. He nodded. "How do you feel?" she asked.

Deeks straightened himself up a little bit more. "Like I was hit by a car." he remarked, with a half smile. Kensi chuckled.

"Well you kind of were." She pointed out. "Pretty hard too." She added.

"Certainly explains all my dents and dings." He replied, looking himself over jokingly. She laughed again. Deeks looked to the side then, but no one else had come with her. "Where's Alyssa?" he asked, looking up at her.

"Nell's bringing her up in a bit. I wanted to make sure that you were up to the visit first." Kensi explained. "She misses you. She overheard the whole thing in Ops—by mistake of course—and it really shook her up." Kensi told him.

Deeks shook his head. "She didn't need all that on her mind." Deeks said sadly. Kensi nodded in agreement.

"Its my fault." She admitted. "If I hadn't let Alvarez play me like he did…none of this wou-" she began in a somber tone.

"Kens, this wasn't your fault. None of it was." Deeks told her, as he laid a hand on top of hers.

"How can you say that?" I mean, look at where you are right now. You didn't get hit just for the hell of it." She pointed out, a little angry with herself.

"So I guess this is the part where you become so emotionally overloaded, that you push everyone else away and shut me out—and eventually go on some sort of psychotic rampage." Deeks said finally, cocking an eyebrow at his brunette partner.

Kensi shook her head at Deeks, and then stooped over to kiss him on the lips. When she finally pulled back, she looked into his Pacific Ocean blue eyes. "I love you." She whispered softly.

Deeks kissed her back. "And I love you—don't beat yourself up over this Kens. Please."

"I promise." She replied.

A few minutes later Nell and Alyssa appeared in the doorway of the room. "Mind if we come in?" Nell asked, clearing her throat.

"Uh, no. Come on in." Deeks said quickly.

"Marty!" Alyssa darted around Nell, and headed straight for the bed. Kensi helped the little girl to climb up and sit at Deeks' side. "Hey there munchkin." Deeks smiled at the little girl.

"Hey." Alyssa replied. "I missed you." She told the shaggy-haired man.

"I don't know. I haven't gotten a hug yet, so-" he started to say.

Alyssa hugged Deeks carefully, and then pulled back to look at him. "Does it hurt?" she asked quietly.

"Nah." Deeks said with a smile. "The only thing that's hurt me so far is the Jell-O they served for breakfast this morning." He told her playfully. That made Alyssa laugh, and that's exactly what she needed.

"Good to see you're still you." Nell remarked, with a grin.

"I don't know." Kensi said, shaking her head. "I think that car might have done some serious damage to his brain." She said with a wink at Nell.

"Sorry to disappoint you Hon, but my brain was screwy before that." Deeks replied cheerfully. Kensi laughed, and then punched Deeks softly in the shoulder. "Hey, I'm injured remember—how about a little love instead."

Callen and Sam strolled into Ops, and found Eric and Hetty busy at work. Callen was sipping coffee from a Styrofoam cup and Sam was enjoying freshly squeezed fruit juice poured from his thermos—which he'd left sitting at his desk.

The day before, Sam and Callen had spent several hours interrogating their suspect, Hassan, in hopes of learning where Alvarez was hiding out. The only thing they managed to get out of the guy was a name 'Maria Faraday'. Hassan also told the two agents that he would tell them more, but only after they had done their homework.

"Found anything to corroborate our guys' story?" Callen asked the tech specialist.

"We have Mr. Callen." Hetty replied, as she turned to face the two men. "It all right here." She added, as she slid a file folder across the table at the center of the room.

Callen picked it up with his free hand, and then set his coffee cup down on the edge of the table. He began to flip through the folders' contents—skimming over the first few pages fairly quickly.

"According to this Maria Faraday was an FBI Agent that died a few years ago." Callen mused aloud. "The last case she worked involved Juan Alvarez."

"Why am I not surprised?" Sam shook his head. "What's the connection between her and Alyssa?" he asked next. He had a weird, unsettling feeling creeping up his spine as he stood there in Ops with his teammates.

"If you will read on, Mr. Callen, you and Mr. Hanna will discover that Agent Faraday went undercover as part of Alvarez's organization. She was undercover for several months before she became pregnant by him—things went south shortly afterward I'm afraid." Hetty explained some of the file's contents to the two men.

"The FBI was close to making an arrest then, but they needed more evidence. Agent Faraday uncovered said evidence and compiled and stored it all in one place." Hetty continued.

Callen also continued to read over the pages in the file folder as Hetty spoke. "Says here she kept the info on a thumb drive." Callen said, as he read the info from a page in the file folder.

"A thumb drive that no one's been able to find." Eric pointed out from his seat near the main computer terminals.

"Why? Was it lost or something?" Sam asked.

"Sort of." Eric replied. He turned back to his computer terminal, and beginning running through the data that he had at his fingertips there. "Says here that Agent Faraday never got the chance to turn her evidence in to the Bureau—she died in a car accident before the mission could be completed."

Callen agreed, still pouring over the notes that he held in his hands. "This information also says that Faraday's daughter was never accounted for after her death. Sam, take a look at this will ya?" Callen called his partner over after spotting something troubling within the file folder of information.

Callen held up a picture of a little girl for Sam to see. A note written on the back of the photo indicated that the little girl was only two years old when the photo was taken. "She's cute." Sam replied, as he looked over the picture in his partner's hand. "Yeah, but doesn't she look sort of familiar to you?" Callen asked.

Sam looked at the photograph a little bit closer, and then suddenly a light bulb went off inside his head. "G, that's Alyssa." Sam said at once.

"I thought so too." Callen agreed. "Look at this though…the name printed on the back of the photo." Callen showed his partner. "Aliyana Elsa Alvarez."

Sam looked up at Hetty who still stood at the other side of the room close to where Eric was stationed. "This means that Alyssa is Alvarez's daughter." Sam told her. "Could be a possible motive behind the kidnapping attempt." He added.

"I think perhaps another conversation with our friend, Hassan, is needed before we can be sure of anything at this point, Mr. Hanna." Hetty suggested.

"I'm thinking you may be right." Callen replied, as he looked up at his boss.

Callen and Sam stepped into the interrogation room out at the boat shed, and confronted their suspect once more. Callen stood on one side of the table facing Hassan, and Sam, as always, stood off to one side.

"We did our homework." Sam told the man from where he stood. "We know about Maria Faraday, and how she was working for the FBI to help bring down your boss." Sam explained.

Hassan nodded, with a pleased expression on his face.

"Now its your turn Hassan. What _don't_ we know?" Callen asked.

Hassan straightened up, and looked calmly into Callen's eyes. "First of all, my real name is Aziz Ansari—I'm with the FBI. I went undercover just a few months before Maria did. I guess you could say I was her 'handler'." He explained.

"Second, as I'm sure you've guessed by now, that little girl you rescued from the safe house—is Maria's daughter. She was thought to have been killed in the same accident that killed her mother until just recently." The man continued.

"That's not all though." Callen pointed out. "Juan Alvarez is the father. Right?"

"Indeed." The man replied, with a slight nod in their direction.

"Maybe you should start from the beginning." Sam suggested. "Give us the full story so we can stop flying blind here." He added.

The man cleared his throat, and shifted in his chair until he was a little more comfortable. "As I said before, I went in first. I spent a few months working my way up and then finally gaining Alvarez's trust. Once I had that we were able to put the rest of our plan into action. We knew that Alvarez was looking for a woman to bear him a child—an heir to his empire if you will. So I introduced him to Maria. They hit it off right away—of course Maria _was_ very good at her job." The man recalled fondly.

"It took them six months, but he finally got Maria pregnant. Then afterward, things were good between him and Maria for the first two years after Aliyana was born—but then that's when things began to go very wrong, very quickly." The man told Callen and Sam, with a very serious look on his face.

"How so?" Callen asked, leaning forward a little bit. His curiosity at this point was definitely peaked.

"Maria was very close to having enough evidence to put Alvarez away for life. But then she overheard a conversation between him and one of his most trusted lieutenants.

"I'm guessing that would be…You?" Sam questioned, arching an eyebrow at the man.

"Indeed, it was me." The man replied.

"What did the two of you talk about?" Callen asked.

"He expressed, to me, that he was unsatisfied with the child. He said he'd wanted a boy, and had tried to love the girl—but it just wasn't working out. They both would have to die. But Maria loved Aliyana more than life itself, and before the end of that day she and her daughter disappeared."

"I'm assuming that she also took her evidence with her, am I right?" Callen asked. "Did she tell you where she was planning to go before she left?" he asked next.

"She did take the evidence, and no she did not tell me where she was going. It was nearly three days before they finally caught up with her—she was meeting with an old friend, but Aliyana wasn't with her that day. Of course, no one ever checked in the car that she was driving." The man explained. "Maria tried to run from them, but the roads were slick that day and she lost control of her car. It crashed through a guard rail, and the resulting final impact killed her almost instantly."

"Bummer." Sam said with a heavy sigh as he shook his head in disbelief.

"Okay, so then here's what I want to know. Alvarez obviously didn't know that Maria Faraday was FBI back then—so why, when he found out that her daughter was still alive years later, did he go after her?" Callen asked.

"Alvarez has eyes and ears everywhere." The man explained in a low voice. "A tip came to Alvarez from inside the Commander's 'circle'. That's how he found out Aliyana was still alive—other than that I'm afraid I don't know much else." The man told them.

"Why did you stay then?" Sam asked from where he stood.

"I beg your pardon?" Ansari replied, unsure of exactly what Sam was asking him.

"After Maria Faraday died…why did you stay with Alvarez?" Sam reiterated his question.

"Well, I felt that I owed it to Maria to finish what we had started—but without the information she had already gathered, I had to start over from scratch."

"Kind of makes sense I guess." Sam replied.

"Speaking of which, the girl…how is she? Is she safe?" Ansari asked, leaning towards Callen a little bit more.

"Yeah, she's at the hospital right now with Agent Blye and Officer Deeks." Callen explained very plainly. "Officer Deeks was run over by your, um, _boss_. But yeah…she's safe." He added.

Sam and Callen exited the boat shed a few minutes later, and started to make their way back to the Ops Centre. "Hey Eric," Callen said over his earwig. "Did you get all that?"

"As a matter of fact I did." Eric replied. "Why do you ask?"

"There's still a lot of gaps in what we know." Sam chimed in. "We need to fill them in quickly." He added.

"Sam's right. We need to track down everyone that the Commander was close to—friends, family, everything. We also need to see the coroner's reports and the police reports from the accident that killed Maria Faraday." Callen instructed the tech specialist.

"Will do. Nell just got back from visiting Deeks, so it shouldn't take too long with the both of us working on it." He assured them.

"Eric, one more thing." Sam said over the radio. "Run Alyssa's adoption records for me—check for anything that doesn't seem…kosher." Sam told him.

"Something you wanna share, partner?" Callen pressed his partner, shooting the big man a slightly confused look.

"Its just a hunch." Sam replied. "Let's see where it leads, first—then maybe I'll read you in." he added.

"Got it." Eric replied a few seconds later. "I'll give you guys a call as soon as I know something."

"Alright. Thanks." The two men said. "Tell Hetty that Sam and I are going to check out the Commander's place one more time." Callen added.

"You got it." Eric replied over the radio.

Back at the hospital everyone was in much higher spirits than they had been in earlier that morning.

Kensi stepped back into Deeks' hospital room with little Alyssa in tow. The pair had gone out for lunch, and was just returning to the hospital from said excursion.

"Hey, how was lunch?" Deeks asked upon seeing Kensi and Alyssa. He had been forced to ingest food that had been specially prepared by the hospital cafeteria—food that he claimed was terribly substandard compared to most other places he'd eaten in his life.

"It was good." Kensi replied. "I had a plate from that little Chinese place we always order take-out from, and the munchkin had a happy meal from McDonalds." Kensi told her partner.

"Good choice." Deeks replied with a smile. He flashed a thumbs-up to Alyssa, and then winked at Kensi.

"Wanna see my toy?" Alyssa asked, excitedly, as she scrambled up to Deeks' side. She held the little toy tightly in her fist as she pulled herself into place.

"Sure." Deeks replied.

The little girl held her toy up for Deeks to see. It was a little stuffed teddy bear toy, and it was covered in all sorts of neat little designs and what not.

"_That_ is a pretty awesome teddy bear you got there Munchkin." Deeks told the little girl with a smile.

Alyssa giggled delightedly at hearing the shaggy-haired man's approval of her new toy.

Kensi rolled her eyes as she watched Deeks and Alyssa interacting happily with each other. "I read on the box that it's supposed to be some kind of promotional thing for that 'Build-A-Bear' store." Kensi told Deeks, nodding towards the toy in Alyssa's hand.

"I've heard about that place," Deeks commented thoughtfully. "Maybe we should take the munchkin here down to check it out some time. You know, once this whole thing is over and done with." He suggested.

Deeks looked down at the little girl once again. "Then you could get a big teddy bear." He told her with a big smile.

That did it. Alyssa was super excited about that idea, and could hardly stand to wait. "Can we go?" she asked the brunette woman standing beside her.

"We'll see." Kensi replied sweetly. "But…only after Marty gets better though." She added.

"Okay." Alyssa replied happily, nodding excitedly.

Deeks laughed at the little girl. "I guess that means I need to get better hunh?"

Alyssa nodded at the shaggy-haired man. "And hurry." She told him, with a smile. That made Deeks and Kensi laugh even more.

Sam and Callen pulled up in front of a small brick house located in the center of a subdivision. Thanks to Eric's computer skills they had been able to track down the friend that Maria Faraday had supposedly visited on the day that she died. "This is it." Callen said, looking over at his partner. The two men exited the Challenger and made their way up to the front door.

Knock! Knock! Knock!

A few seconds later the sounds of locks being undone on the inside could clearly be heard. "Who is it?" a female voice asked from inside the house.

"NCIS, we need to speak with you about Maria Faraday." Callen replied.

The door opened up, and a woman with dark hair stuck her head out. She looked the two men over for a second or two before coming all the way out of the house.

"Felicia Weston?"

"Yes, that's me. Why do you want to know about Maria?" the woman asked. No one had mentioned her friends' name in years.

"I'm Special Agent Callen. This is my partner Agent Hanna—we're investigating the death of your _friend_ Maria Faraday. We were hoping that you could tell us what the two of you talked about the day she died." Callen said calmly.

"Sure. Come inside." she invited the two men into her home, and led them into the living room area. There they all sat down. Felicia sat down on a chair while Sam and Callen took the sofa.

A few minutes later the three of them were locked into an interesting discussion about the deceased Maria Faraday.

"Maria called me two days before, and that's when we setup the meet at the shopping center. She told me the whole story, and said she needed help. I asked her what she needed me to do."

"What was that exactly?" Sam asked.

"She said she needed some one to take care of her daughter for her—that she wasn't safe with her anymore. I said I would do it, and then I asked her where she was. She wouldn't tell me—said it was too dangerous."

"Okay, so then what _did_ you do?" Callen asked, shifting in his seat a little bit.

Felicia Weston nodded, and took a deep breath before continuing with her story. She was a little nervous as she sat with these two men from NCIS. She hadn't spoken of her dead friends since her death, and doing it now was kind of painful.

"Maria said we should meet somewhere…somewhere crowded. I suggested the shopping center in Beverly Hills. She agreed, and said to meet her there that Thursday morning." Felicia explained, her voice quivering slightly.

"We met that morning just like we planned, and when I saw her she looked really upset. She kept looking around, like maybe she was being followed." Felicia Weston stood then, and moved over to her fireplace. She picked up a small wooden box from off the mantle. She carried it back to Sam and Callen, and then opened it up for them.

"What's that?" Sam asked, with a curious look.

"I asked her where the baby was, and she told me she was in a safe place, and that I would need to pick her up as soon as I left the shopping center." Felicia Weston told them, as she showed them the contents of the wooden box. The object was a small thumb drive. "I was about to ask her where, but I think she saw someone—whoever it was really scared her." Felicia Weston handed the thumb drive to Agent Callen.

"This must be it." Callen said to Sam. "The Intel on Alvarez that she was trying to hide."

"She handed it to me, quickly, and then she started to leave. I asked about the baby again, and all she said was _remember that tree_. After that she ran. I thought I saw a man with a gun running after her a minute or so later, but-" Suddenly she couldn't find the words anymore, and fresh tears sprang to her eyes.

"What did it mean?" Callen asked.

"What?" Felicia Weston asked, with a tiny sniffle.

"_Remember that tree_?" Sam repeated the phrase that Felicia mentioned before.

"I-I don't know." Felicia repeated. "I don't think I ever did—I could never figure it out." Suddenly a look of realization, and then anguish washed over the woman. "Damn." She breathed quietly. "Why didn't I see it." She cursed herself for her stupidity.

"What is it?" Callen asked.

Felicia Weston rested her head in her hands. "It all makes sense now." She said, not really to the two men sitting in her living room, but more to herself.

"What does?" Sam asked softly.

"Maria and I were friends in High School—that's how we met." Felicia Weston explained. "Back then we used to hang out at this little seafood place near the beach, her dad's best friend owned it, it was called the Crab Shack."

"What does the tree symbolize?" Sam asked again.

"There's a palm tree just to one side of the shack. Maria and I both got our first kiss from a boy under that tree. That's what she was trying to tell me."

Callen and Sam looked at each other. "She left her daughter with someone at the shack. Who though?" Callen wondered aloud.

"Its original owner passed away about a year before Maria called me. So, I think ownership probably passed to his son—Robert Calvin." She explained.

Callen and Sam exchanged looks of shock and surprise at hearing the name. "Wait, as in _Commander_ Robert Calvin?" Callen asked slowly.

The woman thought for a moment, and then finally nodded in reply. "Yeah, I think so. Last I heard, he used to help out around the place when he wasn't away on deployment." She told them.

Sam nodded, as he dug something out of his pocket. "Now we know how the Commander ended up adopting Alyssa." Sam pointed out.

Callen nodded in agreement.

Sam pulled a photo from his pocket, and showed it to the woman. "Recognize this guy?" Sam asked.

The woman thought for a few seconds, and then her eyes got real big. "That's him. I remember…that's the guy that was chasing Maria that day." She told them.

"Thought so." Sam muttered, as he shoved the photo back into his pants pocket. Next, he fished out his cell phone. "I need to call Eric." He told his partner.

Suddenly, though, Callen's cell phone started ringing. "It's Eric." Callen said, reading the name off of the Caller Id. He finally answered his cell phone just after the second ring.

"Callen here. Whatcha got Eric?" Callen said into the phone. "I've got some bad news." He told the team leader. "Nell and I picked up an unauthorized cell phone call made from the boat shed just a little while ago—tell me it was-"

"It wasn't us." Callen said quickly.

"Geez." Eric blew out a slightly panicked sigh. "Did you guys remember to search the suspect before you left him alone?"

"What is it G?" Sam asked

Callen swore under his breath. "No we didn't. Damnit." He swore aloud. "Did you trace the call?" Callen asked, as he stood up.

"We tried. But the best we could do was locate the last cell tower the signal was bounced off of. Sorry, I know that's not very helpful."

"It's alright Eric. We'll figure something-" Suddenly a loud beeping noise cut into their conversation. At that same moment Sam's cell phone also began beeping somewhat wildly. "What the hell was that?" he said, looking over at Sam.

Sam held up his cell phone for Callen to see. Someone had activated their 'Agent in Distress' alert. Sam pushed a couple of buttons, and a new screen popped a second later. "It came from Deeks' phone." Sam said, as he jumped up from his seat.

"Eric," Callen started to say into his own phone.

"I know. I got it too." Eric replied quickly over the phone line. "I'm sending backup to the hospital now." He told them.

Callen and Sam had, by this point, bid their gracious hostess farewell for the moment, and were headed out the front door of the house.

"See if you can contact Kensi." Callen told the tech specialist as he and Sam raced for Sam's car. "Maybe she's got eyes on the situation." He reasoned aloud.

"Got it." Eric replied.

"Tell Hetty, Sam and I are headed that way too." Callen added. "Callen out." Then he hung up.

Meanwhile…

Kensi had left Deeks' side to run to the ladies restroom for a quick pee break. The restrooms on his floor were out of order, go figure, and so she had had to go down one floor.

She was leaving the bathroom, still trying to shake that sick feeling she'd had ever since getting off of the elevator earlier, when she felt her cell phone vibrating in her jeans pocket. She quickly fished it out, and was horrified and sickened by what she saw.

The 'Agent in Distress' alert had been activated, and it was coming from Deeks' cell phone. Her worst fears had been realized. The man she had seen getting onto the elevator earlier had been who she thought it was.

He hadn't been wearing the same outfit as he had the last time she saw him, but it was definitely the same guy—Juan Alvarez.

Then her cell phone began to ring again. She answered it. "Yeah. I saw it." She told the tech specialist on the other end. "I'm headed back to his room now." She said, as she raced off towards the elevator.

…**To Be Continued in **_**Agent in Distress**_**…**


	7. Agent in Distress

**Author's Note: This chapter is somewhat shorter than previous chapters, but as I have said before there is a good reason behind the things I do—so again, just bare with me and I hope you guys enjoy this chapter regardless of its short length. Oh, and don't forget to comment/review if possible. All are welcome and greatly appreciated.**

Hetty quietly stepped into the interrogation room. She made sure to close and lock the door behind her. She had only one thought on her mind right then, and that was the safety of her team.

The man who called himself Aziz Ansari still sat silently at the table in the center of the room. He did not try to make eye contact with Hetty.

Hetty stood very still just inches away from the door, her hands folded neatly behind her back.

Finally the man spoke. The nervousness Hetty's presence caused was very evident in his somewhat shaky voice. "Okay. Say something." Ansari said nervously, shifting a little bit in his seat. "When can I leave? I helped you people out, didn't I? We are all on the same team-remember?" He insisted, trying to sound more threatening.

Hetty remained calm as ever, and only stared straight at the man sitting at the table. After a minute or so, she finally moved forward until finally stopping right by Ansari's side.

Ansari slowly lifted his eyes to Hetty's, and visibly swallowed a lump in his throat.

"We both know," Hetty began in a low voice. "That that's not entirely true. Let me assure you Mr. Ansari, assuming that is your real name, the truth will come out eventually—one way or another."

The man swallowed another lump, and tried desperately to pull his own eyes away from Hetty's.

Hetty leaned down close to Ansari's face. "You should also know, that right now your well-being depends on whether or not my team walks away from the trap you've sent them into." The tiny woman whispered menacingly into the man's ear. "Consider what I've said carefully before you choose to speak." She added. 

Kensi's heart pounded fiercely inside her chest as she approached the door to Deeks' room. She hoped against everything else in the world that he and Alyssa were okay.

The elevator pinged, and then the doors opened. Kensi stepped off the elevator car and immediately headed towards Deeks' room. It was only another minute or so before she reached the entrance to the room.

"Deeks!" She entered the room and moved towards the bed. He wasn't in it, and there was no sign of Alyssa either.

"Agent Blye."

The voice sent cold chills down Kensi's spine when she heard it. A voice in her head told her not to turn around, but she did it anyway.

"You." She said calmly when she saw Alvarez standing at the back of the room. "Where are they?" she demanded.

Alvarez stood with two other armed thugs on either side of him. He smiled at the female federal agent, and nodded slightly. "I was going to ask you the same thing, but it sounds to me like you wouldn't have the right answer. A shame really."

Alvarez motioned towards one of his thugs. The thug pulled a small pistol and pointed it at Kensi. Alvarez held up Deeks' cell phone for Kensi to see.

"You made the call." Kensi said aloud as the horrible truth became clear.

"I did." Alvarez admitted with a grin. "And you came running right into my trap." He added.

"You won't get away." Kensi told him. "The rest of my team is on their way here. I'll bet there already here now."

Alvarez chuckled to himself. "I doubt it. And even if they were, they wouldn't be able to get inside the building."

Kensi swallowed a hard lump in her throat. She had a sick feeling starting in the pit of her stomach at that moment, and it made her really wish that Callen and Sam would get there quickly.

Alvarez stood up and walked towards Kensi. "Agent Blye, I will get what I'm after, and I don't care how many people I have to kill to get it." He told her quietly, with a sneer. "Let's go for a walk shall we?" He grabbed her by the arm and pressed the muzzle of his own pistol into her side. "Walk." He said commandingly. 

Deeks and Alyssa had made their way down into the cafeteria to snag themselves a tiny snack before heading back up to Deeks' room. A woman in white handed Alyssa a small bag of bite size cookies, smiling as she did so.

"Thank you." The little girl said sweetly to the woman.

"You're welcome sweetie." The woman replied. She looked up and winked at Deeks afterward. "You two have fun now." She told the pair.

Deeks chuckled as he tousled the little girls' hair. "Oh don't worry—we will."

Deeks turned and started to lead Alyssa back towards the room. When they reached the cafeteria's exit, however, an armed security guard stopped them.

"Sorry sir," the officer said, holding his hand out to keep them back. "I'm afraid you can't leave this area right now."

"Why not?" Deeks asked, as he tried to push past the guard.

"There is a situation downstairs, and we need everyone to stay where they are for the time being." The guard said quietly, but insistently.

"Wait. What kind of situation?" Deeks asked quietly.

"Sorry sir, but I can't discuss that right now." the guard replied as he turned to go back to his post.

Deeks looked down at the little girl, and smiled slightly. "Guess we're staying here for a while squirt." He told her. Deeks led the little girl over to a table where the two of them sat down side-by-side.

Deeks tried his best to act as if nothing were wrong. He saw no point in upsetting Alyssa, especially when he wasn't even sure what was actually going on down below. Still, he couldn't quite fight back the churning in his stomach that brought images of his worst fears swirling into his head.

He caught himself looking over his shoulder at the door where the heavy-set armed guard was standing by. He hated being in the dark like he was at that moment, but what could he do. 

The familiar black Challenger pulled to a quick stop just outside a newly erected police barricade. The barricade blocked any access from the outside to the hospitals emergency room.

Sam threw his car into Park as Callen unbuckled himself and then slid out the passenger side door. Sam followed close behind his partner several seconds later.

Callen reached the edge of the barricade before being stopped by two uniformed police officers.

"Sorry, this areas' off limits. You'll have to-" one of the officers started to explain.

Callen flashed his badge for the two officers and then shoved it back into his back pocket. "N.C.I.S., Agents Callen and Hanna." He said as he motioned from himself to Sam. "What's the situation?"

The second officer scratched his head gently, and looked at Sam and Callen with a look of slight confusion. "What's NCIS doing here?" he asked.

Sam rolled his eyes at the two officers. His patience was quickly wearing thin, and they were just as quickly running out of time. "Some of our people are in that building, and we're here to help." Sam explained.

The two officers seemed satisfied with that answer, and one of them nodded sympathetically. "Sorry to hear that." The first officer replied.

"So what can you tell us?" Callen asked, motioning with his head towards the building.

"We got ourselves a hostage situation right now." The first officer explained as he and his partner led the two NCIS Agents into the area behind the barricade. "Multiple gunmen. They've got a gun on one hostage, that we can see, so we figure she must be special or something."

A black van pulled up just outside the barricade at about that same moment. The lettering on the outside of the black van indicated that the S.W.A.T. team had finally arrived.

The back doors of the van opened up, and several men jumped out and began to suit up where they stood.

"Good," the second officer said suddenly. "SWAT's finally here."

The first officer nodded, and then led the group over to a small tent where they had a surveillance unit already up and running. A third officer sat a table monitoring the footage that was being leaked from the inside.

"Sam," Callen said as he pointed to a figure on one of the monitors that set displayed on the table top. "That's Kensi, Damnit." He swore under his breath.

"He's using her as bait." Sam mused aloud as he took the situation in and processed it. "Obviously he can't find what he's after—I don't see Deeks or Alyssa on any of these monitors—so-"

Callen nodded in agreement with his partner's assessment thus far. "He knows Kensi and Deeks are partners." Callen finished what he knew would be Sam's next thought.

"Oh, she one of yours?" the third officer asked, looking up from the monitors.

"Yeah, she's one of ours." Callen replied. "Sam we need to get in there." Callen told his partner.

"Sorry, not on my watch." A voice said from behind the little group. They all turned to see a partially bald man dressed from head to toe in standard issue SWAT armor and gear standing in the doorway of the small tent.

The man strode forward, quickly, and shook each of their hands in turn as he introduced himself. "Name's Commander Stephen Briggs." He said commandingly. "If you don't mind, I'll be taking over from here." He said, as he pushed past the group of men to view the surveillance monitors.

"Where's this coming from?" Briggs asked the third officer.

"Um, a security guard, stationed inside, is streaming this to us live." The officer replied.

Briggs only nodded. Then he reached down to his chest and pressed a radio button that was mounted just over where his heart would be. "This is Briggs. How're looking for snipers?"

A few seconds later a voice responded through the crackle of static on the radio set. "Read you loud and clear, Commander, we've only got a few good openings out here. May need to manipulate the target into a better position, sir." The man on the other end responded.

"Roger that Hawkins, stand by." Briggs replied a few seconds later. "We need to find out who our gunman is, and what he wants." Briggs said to one of the officers.

"We already know all that." Callen said, interrupting the conversation between Briggs and the other officers. "His names' Juan Alvarez, he's the head of the Alvarez Drug Cartel, and what he wants—he won't get." Sam explained in a very calm manner.

Briggs turned back to face Callen and Sam. "And you are?" he asked, though from the look on his face he clearly didn't care.

Sam flashed a badge this time and introduced himself and Callen to the muscular white man standing before them. "N.C.I.S., Agents Callen and Hanna."

"Hmph." The man snorted. "Navy cops, hunh?" He shook his head dismissively at the pair. "Hate to break it to you boys, but we've got this situation all well in hand. Your services won't be needed I'm afraid."

"Excuse me?" Callen stood up straight, and his muscles tensed as if anticipating a fight. "Some of our people are in that building, and we intend to everything-"

Briggs stepped forward and got right up close to Callen. He blew out a short breath in Callen's face, and narrowed his eyes at the federal agent. "Look, Mr. Fed-Pants. I don't need you or your partner interfering with my job, you understand me? Now, I can't guarantee the safety of your 'friends', but I will say this—they must not be too bright if they're caught up in the middle of this." A tiny sneer crossed the man's face as he stared into Callen's eyes.

Sam could see very clearly that Callen was just seconds away from decking the guy on the spot. He knew he needed to intervene before things got too far out of hand.

"G." Sam said as he stepped up beside his partner. "Let's go. Come on." He urged his partner. 

Deeks had started to feel really uncomfortable. He and Alyssa had been sitting at the same table for what seemed like forever at that point. He glanced back over his shoulder for just a second, and by sheer luck caught sight of the armed guard stepping outside the cafeteria door.

Deeks made a split second decision after that. He told Alyssa to stay put, and then he pulled himself up, clutching at his aching ribs, and headed for the door. Sitting down and standing up had become his worst enemies since being hit by Alvarez's car.

A few seconds later Deeks carefully stuck his head out the door and listened. He could hear the guard talking over his walkie-talkie radio. They were talking about some kind of hostage situation going on downstairs in the emergency room.

"Roger that, we're all clear up here. What's the situation down there?" the guard said into his walkie-talkie radio. Deeks listened carefully as the man on the other end relayed what details he actually had.

Deeks' breath caught in his throat at the description of the main hostage. "Kensi." He breathed. He quickly pulled himself back into the cafeteria, and hugged the nearest wall. His heartbeat was frantic against the inside of his chest.

His mind raced almost as quickly as his heart. He knew he couldn't just sit there. He had to do something; and after all it was his partner that was in danger.

Suddenly an idea popped into Deeks' head, and he knew what he had to do. It would probably get him into a lot of trouble once it was all said and done, but it wasn't like he had any better ideas to work with.

He went back to the table and got Alyssa. He led her back to the front of the cafeteria and after a few seconds of looking, he finally spotted the woman from before.

"Hey, excuse me, Ms.-I need a favor." Deeks said as he approached the woman. He quickly explained the situation, without giving away anything that would upset the friendly woman, and in return she agreed to watch after Alyssa while he was gone.

"Thanks," Deeks told the woman once again. "I really appreciate this."

"Not a problem." The woman said with a smile. "You…will let us know if we-"

Deeks nodded. "I promise. As soon as I know more—I'll come right back." He was lying somewhat, but he knew the truth would be less-likely to work in his favor at that time, so he elected to leave the rest of it alone.

"I'll be right back squirt." He told the little girl with a smile. "You be good for the nice lady, alright. Maybe I'll get you a surprise, if I get a good report later." He said with a small grin.

Alyssa smiled up at the shaggy-haired man and nodded quietly. "I'll be good Marty." She told her guardian.

Deeks smiled, and then hurried off to put his plan into action.

_Hang in there partner—I'm on my way._

…**TBC…**

…**Keep watching for the next exciting chapter in the series, **_**Exit Strategy**_**…**


	8. Exit Strategy

**Author's Note: I hope that you guys enjoy this latest installment, and don't forget to keep commenting/reviewing this story as well as my others as well. Thanks Again !**

"I'm gonna lose my job over this." The security guard mumbled under his breath. He led Deeks down to the nearest restroom, and then stepped aside so the shaggy-haired man could enter.

Deeks had lied and tricked the security guard into allowing him to visit the restroom for a pee break.

Deeks entered the restroom, and immediately began looking around for anything he could use to subdue the armed security guard waiting outside.

"You almost done in there!" the guard called from just outside the door.

"Hold your horses bro, I just got started." Deeks called back, with a shake of his head.

Deeks suddenly heard the sound of crackling static, and then audible voices coming from the security guards walkie-talkie. He listened carefully to what they were saying.

"Right. Thanks for the update, Franklin out." The guard said into his walkie-talkie. "Sir, I'm afraid I need to get you back to the cafeteria." The guard called into the restroom.

Deeks stepped off to the side just a bit. He had an idea that he thought might work, but only if he played his cards right.

"Dude, can't I just get a few more seconds." Deeks called back.

"Sorry sir, I'm afraid I can't do-" the guard said as he began to push open the restroom door.

Deeks lunged forward with everything he had and slammed the door backwards into the guards face. Deeks exited the restroom quickly as the guard stumbled backwards clutching at his face.

"My nose!" he hollered into his hands. "Son-of-a-bitch, you broke it!" the guard squealed in pain.

Deeks stepped forward. "Yeah I know. But you're gonna hate this even more." He said quietly, as he lunged forward once again.

Deeks pulled the unconscious guard into the restroom a few minutes later. He set the unconscious man up against the back wall, and then leaned himself against the wall for a moment to catch his breath. He clutched at his intensely aching ribs. He could tell that the pain meds he'd been given several hours before were finally beginning to wear off, which wasn't something he really needed right then. _Come on Deeks-Pull it together. Your partner's counting on you right now, so suck it up and be a man._

He then began to strip the slumbering guard of a few necessary pieces of equipment.

Outside the hospital Sam and Callen are discussing their next move when they hear a familiar voice over a nearby police radio.

"I'm telling you Sam, we have to stop this guy. He's gonna get Kensi, and everyone else killed." Callen pointed out, not-to-happily.

Sam nodded in agreement. "Question is, how?"

"Hello, anyone out there? This is L.A.P.D. Detective Martin Deeks; I'm inside L.A. General Hospital. We have a hostage situation in progress—please advise."

"You hear that?" Callen said, as he turned around and started to look for the source of the sound.

"Sounded like Deeks." Sam pointed out. "There." Sam said finally. He pointed to an officer standing near the opening of the small tent. The officer was removing his walkie-talkie from his belt to answer the call.

"Sorry, didn't quite get that. Could you please repeat?" the officer said into the walkie-talkie. The familiar voice came back over the radio, and repeated the previous message.

At about that same time Callen and Sam reached the officer's side. Callen quickly relieved the officer of his radio, and then stepped off to one side to hear better.

"Deeks?" Callen said into the radio. His heart pounded fiercely in his chest as he held the walkie-talkie radio close to his face.

"Who is…Callen? That you?" Deeks' voice came over the radio.

"Yeah, Sam's here too. How are you-?" Callen started to ask. He was curious as to how Deeks was able to communicate from inside the hospital like he was.

"Probably best if you don't know." Deeks said simply. "I heard Alvarez is downstairs…he's got Kensi." Deeks told them.

"We know." Callen replied. "We think he maybe planning to use her as-"

Deeks was still in the restroom talking with Callen and Sam over the walkie-talkie when the hospital's loudspeakers suddenly sprang to life.

"Detective Deeks, I know you can hear me." The familiar voice boomed over the loudspeakers. "You have something that I want." The voice continued.

"Deeks, what's going on?" Callen asked over the radio. Deeks had suddenly gone silent, and that greatly distressed his comrades waiting outside the hospital.

"Its Alvarez. I think this is the part where he demands a million dollars and a helicopter." Deeks remarked humorously. He then held the walkie-talkie so that Sam and Callen could hear what he was hearing.

"Do you ever stop?" Sam replied over the radio, with a sigh.

"I have something that you want." Alvarez continued. "I would be willing to agree to a trade, Detective-"

Everyone in the emergency room area was either flat on the ground or huddled up in the corners. They were all scared, and feared for their very lives. Alvarez had taken over the nearby nurses' station, with his two thugs, and had Kensi there with him as well.

Kensi sat in a chair with her hands bound behind her back. She sat very still where she was. She didn't move or speak, just stared straight ahead.

"You bring me the girl and the evidence, and maybe I let Agent Blye live another day." Alvarez continued his demands over the intercom system. As he spoke he pressed the muzzle of his pistol against the side of Kensi's head.

Kensi shut her eyes without thinking, and tried not to flinch at the feel of cold steel pressed against the side of her head. "Deeks, don't listen to him!" Kensi said in Alvarez's direction. Her voice carried over the intercom, and Deeks could hear it clear as day. "Keep Alyssa safe. Don't worry about me." She insisted, and she could feel the slight quiver in her voice as she spoke.

One of Alvarez's thugs moved forward, and a hand came down hard against the other side of her face. She yelped in surprise from the blow.

Deeks flinched when he heard Kensi yelp in pain. His fists were clenched tightly, and he struggled to calm himself down enough to think. "Deeks!" Callen's voice came through the radio, and broke into Deeks' tortured thoughts. "Deeks, you still there?"

"Yeah, I'm here." Deeks replied.

"One more thing, Detective. You have 25 minutes to comply with my demands, or I will put a bullet in your partner's head—the clock is ticking Detective." The man's voice boomed out over the loudspeakers.

"I've got to get her out of there." Deeks said aloud, not really meaning to though.

"Now is not the time to play hero, Deeks." Sam warned the L.A.P.D. Detective over the radio. "We need a plan."

Deeks looked over at the unconscious guard sitting slumped over against the nearby restroom wall. He thought for a moment, and then another light bulb lit up inside his head. "Already got one—granted, I'll have to modify it a bit, but it should still work." He told his comrades.

"You said the SWAT team had arrived earlier, right?"

"Yeah, their team leader is some guy named Briggs." Callen said over the radio. He sounded as un-thrilled as any one man could possibly get.

"Did you say Briggs? As in Stephen Briggs?" Deeks asked.

"One and the same." Callen replied. "Why?"

Deeks shook his head unhappily. "Fuck." He swore under his breath. That was definitely not a good thing. He had known Briggs for several years, and the two men had never gotten along. In fact, they almost completely hated each other. Well, actually most of the hatred was on Briggs' end, Deeks couldn't care less one way or another.

"Come again?" came the worried replies of Deeks' teammates on the outside. "Sounds like you know the guy." Sam said next.

"You could say that." Deeks replied, as he moved towards the unconscious guards' body once again. "He kinda hates my guts." Deeks admitted.

"That's great." Callen replied. "That's just great." Callen blew out a frustrated sigh on his end. "He'll probably issue a shoot-to-kill order if he sees you, am I right?"

"Yeah, probably." Deeks replied, with a slight nod, even though his friends could not see it.

Deeks began to strip a few more items off of the unconscious guard while he and his teammates continued to converse over the walkie-talkie radios.

"So what's this plan of yours Deeks?" Sam asked next, over the walkie-talkie radio. "Might help if you include us in whatever crazy stunt your about to pull." He added.

"Probably not." Deeks replied honestly. "I do, however, need for you guys to distract Briggs just long enough for me to do my thing—think you two can handle that?"

Sam huffed audibly. "Is that a lack of faith in our abilities I hear?" Callen asked his partner. "Cause that's what it sounds like to me."

"I agree." Sam told his partner. "Can't say I agree with this whole 'rogue cop' routine, but if it gets Kensi out of there alive—what choice do I really have."

"Anything else we need to know?" Callen asked a minute or so later.

"Yeah." Deeks replied, as he gathered up the few pieces of equipment he'd taken from the guard into his arms and stood to his feet. "This whole fiasco with this Alvarez guy…it ends today."

Deeks made his way onto the elevator at the end of the long hallway, and stepped aboard the car once he'd called it up to the floor he was on.

He had stopped on the way, and raided a supply closet for a set of blue scrubs, and one other thing so that he would be more decently covered than he had been earlier when he only had the one gown and robe that the nurses had supplied him with from day one.

As he rode the elevator car down to the emergency room area, he checked and re-checked the pistol he now carried multiple times. This he did partly out of anxiousness, and also partly nervousness.

He held the walkie-talkie up to his face as he watched the numbers over the door of the elevator grow closer and closer to his final destination. "You guys ready out there?" he asked over the radio.

"Just say the word." Sam replied back over the radio.

"Go for it." Deeks said calmly, as the elevator finally reached the desired floor, and opened up with a small ping sound. He quickly shoved the pistol into the waistband at the backside of the pants he now wore, and then pulled the bottom of the shirt down to finish concealing the weapon.

Deeks stepped off of the elevator, and walked the short distance to the very edge of the emergency room area where he would be able to see his target.

He winced slightly as he walked. Each step reminded him of his injuries, and he began to wish he had some more pain meds in him. "Heard you were looking for me." Deeks said, just loud enough for Alvarez to hear him from across the room.

Alvarez looked up, and smiled thinly as his eyes fell upon the shaggy-haired detective. "Ah, Detective. I trust you brought what I asked for." He added.

"Maybe." Deeks replied, not moving from where he stood. "Let my partner go first, then we'll talk."

"You think I am stupid, Detective?" Alvarez remarked smartly, with a small grin. The man shook his head at Deeks with evident amusement. "I couldn't possibly give up my best bargaining chip, now could I? Not so soon anyway." He added.

"Yeah, I kinda figured you might say that." Deeks said, feigning a sigh. He took that time and surveyed the entire room quickly. He was easily able to pick out Alvarez's two hired thugs—one positioned on either side of the room.

"Deeks, just leave." Kensi called to her partner with a slight air of desperation about her. "Don't worry about me." She added.

"A little too late for that, don'tcha think?" Deeks remarked.

Alvarez chose to speak then. "The girl and the evidence. I know you have them both—I've waited too long to put this business with Maria Faraday and her wretch of a child behind me. Give them to me, or I will kill your partner." He told the Detective.

"You know what…I lied. That's actually never gonna happen." Deeks told the man defiantly. "So you might as well let my partner go, while you're still able to do so freely."

Alvarez pressed the muzzle of his pistol into the side of Kensi's head once again, and slowly began to wrap his fingers around the trigger mechanism. "You were warned Detective." Alvarez hissed menacingly.

Kensi shut her eyes tight as a single tear rolled down her cheek. She braced herself for the inevitable end that would surely follow the loud bang soon to ring out and echo around the room.

"Wait, no!" Deeks exclaimed fearfully. Suddenly his hand flew around to his backside, and he quickly produced the weapon he'd kept concealed up to this point. Without much thought or a moment's hesitation, he expertly eliminated the two other thugs, using only one shot for each, before they even really had a chance to react and defend themselves.

This action startled Alvarez, and he immediately turned his gun on the detective instead.

Deeks felt at least three different rounds slam hard into his chest, and then everything seemed to go black after that.

"Deeks!" Kensi screamed as she watched her partner go down from across the room. "No." she moaned, and tears began to well up in her eyes as she sat there.

Outside the hospital everyone behind the police barricade heard the short volley of gunshots that came from inside the emergency room.

"Look, if you'd just listen-" Callen was busily arguing with Commander Briggs over something completely stupid and idiotic, when the shots rang out.

Sam and Callen had engaged the Commander in argumentative conversation as part of an attempt at distracting him so that Deeks would have, hopefully, enough time to rescue Kensi and take down Alvarez. So far, their plan had been working rather nicely—that is until the gunshots were heard.

Commander Briggs spun around, and headed quickly towards the small tent. "Snipers unit, stand down." He said over his radio headset. "What the hell's going on in there!" he bellowed at the other officers. "Someone get me a visual now!" he demanded angrily.

"What's the target's position?" he asked one of the technicians hovering over the surveillance monitors.

"You think we bought Deeks enough time?" Callen asked Sam. The two men stood just a few feet away from Commander Briggs.

"Sure hope so." Sam replied, looking up towards the hospital building. "I really do G."

"Alpha team!" Commander Briggs bellowed loudly towards a group of men who stood silently just off to one side of the small tent. "Prepare to breach—we go on my mark!" It was official at that point. The order had been given, and soon an entire squad of armed SWAT team members would be barging in through the emergency room's front doors.

Alvarez noticed a sudden increase in movement outside the emergency room doors. The police forces outside were responding to the gunshots that they had apparently heard.

"Damnit. It appears we have overstayed our welcome, my dear." Alvarez said hastily, as he began to untie Kensi. He then hoisted her up to her feet, and then began pulling her along towards the short hallway that led down to the elevator.

His mind raced with thoughts and ideas of how to best escape the soon-to-be oncoming waves of police officers and the like. He figured that the police probably and hopefully did not have the parking deck covered—so he could probably escape out that way. Of course, to do that meant he would have to go up at least two or three more floors.

Kensi suddenly began to struggle against the man, and then after a few seconds she stomped on his foot and elbowed him in the ribs. Once he released his grip on her, she bolted back across the floor and dropped to her knees by Deeks' side.

"Bitch! Get back here!" Alvarez called after the female federal agent.

"Deeks, Deeks wake up. Please, you have to be okay—you have to be." She pleaded, as she shook his unconscious form gently.

Deeks groaned suddenly, and then his eyes fluttered open. "Deeks!" Kensi exclaimed in quiet shock.

Deeks looked around for a brief moment, as he tried to get his bearings back. Then he spotted Alvarez walking towards them with his pistol drawn and aimed right at Kensi. The next thing he saw was his own pistol lying on the floor just within reach of his good hand.

"Kensi, look out!" Deeks yelled, as he grabbed for his own gun. He quickly pulled her down across his own body, and at the same time brought his own gun up over his head and pointed it right at Alvarez's chest.

BANG!

The loud sound of Deeks' gun going off suddenly filled the emergency room around them. Deeks watched, as did most of the other people in the room, as Alvarez shrunk backwards a little bit and then crumpled to a dead heap upon the hospital floor.

Afterward, it took a moment for everything that had just happened to finally settle over Kensi, but then after it did she was okay. She sat up, and just stared down at Deeks for a long moment.

Just then the doors to the Emergency room burst open, and several armored SWAT Team members rushed inside to secure the area and assess the situation.

Callen and Sam were next in line to enter the building, and as soon as they spotted their comrades they made a beeline in their direction.

"I-I don't get it. You're alive…I watched him put three slugs in your chest." Kensi was still struggling with that one part.

Deeks pushed the brunette back a little bit, and then proceeded to undo the top portion of the scrubs he was wearing. Underneath the scrubs top he revealed a bulletproof vest, which he had borrowed from the security guard he'd left back upstairs.

"Does that answer your question?" Deeks asked, with a slight groan. "Please don't ask me to do that again-cause that hurts like hell, just in case you were wondering."

Kensi still had tears in her eyes when she bent her head down to kiss the shaggy-haired man she'd almost lost just minutes before. "I'm really glad you're okay." She whispered in his ear. "But don't ever do anything _that_ stupid again, or else."

Deeks noticed a tone of playfulness in her voice at the last words she said. He knew that she was just as glad the whole fiasco was over with as he was.

Callen and Sam reached Deeks' side a moment or two later, and found Kensi helping Deeks out of the bulletproof vest he'd been wearing. "You two alright?"

"I'm better." Kensi replied quietly, as she looked up at the other two agents standing over them.

"Deeks?" Sam asked.

"Me? Well I was hit by a car, and then just now I was shot three times in the chest. Gee, what do you think Sam?" Deeks groaned again as Kensi and Callen helped him up to his feet finally.

Sam grinned devilishly at the shaggy-haired man. "Oh, I believe I can fix that for ya." He teased the Detective.

Deeks shook his head at the muscular NCIS Agent. "No thanks, don't really care for your methods buddy. However, that pretty blonde nurse over there…she looks like she knows how to make a guy feel _real_ good."

Deeks turned as he spoke, and winked at Kensi slyly. Kensi couldn't help but laugh at her partner's humor.

Callen and Sam looked at each other for a moment, and then turned back to look at Kensi and Deeks. "Something you guys wanna share with the rest of the class?" Callen asked, apparently very amused by what he was seeing from the pair standing before him.

"Nope." Deeks replied. "Not really." Kensi added behind him.

"You could go up to the cafeteria, though, and pick-up Alyssa for us." Deeks suggested to the team's fearless leader.

…TBC…

…**Remember to be on the lookout for the heartwarming conclusion to this story coming soon in **_**"Finding Home"-**_**where we'll find out what becomes of little Alyssa, and whether or not Deeks and Kensi actually remain together as well as finally getting some answers to many of the questions that have yet to be answered****…**


	9. Finding Home

Kensi had the hardest time getting to sleep two nights later. She kept thinking about Alyssa, and wanted so much to feel that little girl's body snuggled up to her own.

Alvarez was finally dead and gone, and everything had begun to return to normal. But now, for Kensi, normal just wasn't good enough.

She had begged Hetty not to relinquish custody of the little girl to Felicia Weston, the woman they knew nothing about, except that she was the one whom Maria Faraday had originally intended to be Alyssa's guardian after her death.

Hetty had insisted, though, that it was the right thing to do. She had told the whole team that because Alyssa had no other living relatives, and because Felicia Weston was the only other person Maria Faraday was known to have confided in just before her death—the move was only logical at that point. Or, at least that was how Hetty had rationalized it.

Kensi had forced herself to accept the decision before leaving the mission that day. She'd kept telling herself that it was what was best for Alyssa, and that as long as the little girl was happy—then Kensi would also find a way to be happy just knowing that.

So now Kensi laid in bed, restlessly, and thought about that precious little girl that had so drastically changed her life. Fresh tears sprung to the brunette's eyes, and she quickly buried her face deep in her soft pillow. "I miss you, Alyssa." She sobbed quietly. After a while she finally cried herself to sleep.

Deeks hadn't been coping with Alyssa's absence all that well either. He had been released from the hospital just the day before, and was finally settling back down at his place after spending so many nights at Kensi's place, and then at the hospital.

A car pulled up just outside Deeks' place. It was really late, and Deeks had already gone to bed. But a knock at his door awakened him from his deep slumber, and he wasn't the least bit happy about it.

"What the hell?" he mumbled under his breath as he rolled out of his bed. He steadied himself against the edge of the bed before moving forward. His ribs still ached a little bit from his previous ordeals.

Another knock came at the front door, and Deeks couldn't help but feel that much more agitated at whoever it was that was standing on the other side.

"I'm coming." He yelled as he entered the living room area. When he did finally reach the front door, and opened it he was surprised to see Felicia Weston standing on his front stoop.

"Ms. Weston." Deeks said with an air of surprise at the sight of the woman. Felicia Weston glanced back over her shoulder at her car, which waited just down the way.

The woman had tears in her eyes as she looked back up at the shaggy-haired detective. "I-I'm so sorry to bother you. I know its late, but-"

"No, no." Deeks said, gesturing for her to come inside. "Come in." She declined his offer though. There was a brief pause before either of them spoke again.

"The reason I'm here, Detective Deeks, is because of Alyssa. Ever since they brought her to my house, she's been unhappy. She won't sleep, she barely eats…she's-she's a mess. And I think its because she misses you and Agent Blye." Felicia Weston explained through quiet tears.

Deeks nodded in compassionate understanding. "Believe me, I know the feeling. We both do." He replied quietly.

Felicia Weston sniffled a little bit. "I know this may seem like a lot to process so late in the evening, but when I asked Alyssa what she wanted…well, here's her answer."

The woman produced a small packet of papers from underneath her overcoat, and handed them to Deeks. Deeks was a little bit confused at first, but once he opened the packet of papers he knew exactly what they were.

"Adoption papers." Deeks breathed in a low voice, suddenly looking up at the other woman who still stood on his front stoop.

Felicia Weston nodded up at the detective, and sniffled once again. "Alyssa was happy with you guys…and it just doesn't seem fair to take that away from her. You know what I mean." The woman explained. "And, I think its what Maria would have wanted too—for Alyssa to be safe and happy…and loved."

A single tear rolled down over Deeks' cheek as he suddenly really realized just how much the little girl meant to him. "Yeah, I think you're right." Deeks said with a tiny smile.

Suddenly the little girl appeared at Felicia Weston's side. In her little hands she held a small/medium sized backpack that held the few items of clothing she did have as well as a few other things.

"Sweetie." Felicia said upon seeing that the little girl had left the safety of her car.

"Hey there munchkin." Deeks said softly, looking down at the little girl. "How's it hanging?"

"I don't wanna go somewhere else." The little girl told Deeks. "I like it here with you and Ms. Kensi—I promise I'll be good, I promise." She said with a small sniffle. "Can I stay with you and Ms. Kensi, please." The little girl asked quietly, her eyes big with what little hope she had left.

Deeks lowered himself slowly to his knees so that he would be on even ground with the little girl. He looked into her sad green eyes for a brief moment before speaking again. "Is this really what you want?" he asked her softly.

She nodded, while rubbing at her eyes. Deeks smiled warmly at the little girl, and then pulled her into his arms for a hug. "We'd love to have you stay with us, munchkin." He whispered softly into the little girls' ear.

The next day arrived and Kensi, Callen, and Sam found themselves at the mission bright and early. Hetty had postponed the Debrief for their last 'Op' involving Juan Alvarez until the team had had a proper chance to heal and process everything that had happened.

Kensi had noticed that her partner was running late, but she dismissed it and told herself that he was just moving slow because he was still healing from his injuries.

Eric soon summoned the three present team members upstairs to the Op Center to begin the Debrief with Hetty.

"Kens," Callen said quietly as he walked towards the female federal agent. "How're you holding up?" he asked her. He knew that Alyssa's absence had been hard on Kensi from the very start.

She shrugged at the team's leader. "Okay, I guess. I mean, yeah I miss her. But there's nothing I can do about it." She admitted quietly.

"Hey, look at it this way. At least she'll be able to live a happy, healthy, normal life." Sam said reassuringly, from the side. "Isn't that worth letting go?"

"Yeah," Kensi said, as she wiped a few fresh tears from her eyes with the back of her hand. "Yeah, I guess you're right."

"Good morning all." Hetty said, as she finally entered the Ops Center. "I trust everyone is well rested and ready for the day."

Everyone in the room either nodded or vocalized their readiness.

Then Hetty noticed Deeks' absence, and eventually decided that his participation in the Debrief was important enough that she needed to inquire as to his whereabouts at that particular moment.

"Where is Mr. Deeks?" Hetty asked her team. "I am sure I explained the importance of this meeting to him." She added.

"Late for work, I guess." Was all Kensi could say. She really did not know anything else other than that. Callen and Sam were also at a loss as to where the liaison officer could possibly be.

"Well, alright then. I guess we will have to continue without Mr. Deeks then." Hetty said at last. "Mr. Beal, if you please." Hetty said with a nod in Eric's direction.

Eric pressed a few keys on his keyboard, and several bits of information appeared across the big plasma, viewing screen located at the front of the room. "Nell." Eric said to his tech partner.

Nell nodded, stood, and walked over to Hetty's side. "Okay, so here's what we know. Maria Faraday was part of an FBI undercover Op designed to bring down Juan Alvarez and his drug cartel."

Nell touched briefly over the bits of information pertaining to the little girl and her association with the aforementioned drug dealer. Next, came the juicy bits. "What Maria Faraday didn't know, was that her FBI contact within the compound, Aziz Ansari, had secretly gone rogue."

Deeks and Alyssa strolled into the mission together. They both had excited smiles spread across their faces, and Deeks looked as if he hadn't slept a wink all night.

"Shhhh." Deeks raised a finger to his lips so that the little girl would know not to say anything that would ruin the surprise. Alyssa nodded with a smile, and then when Deeks pointed to a chair nearby, she sat down obediently and waited patiently.

Deeks carried a small stereo in one hand, and the Beach Boys CD from his car in the other hand. The shaggy-haired man quickly setup the stereo and then put the CD on to play—cranking the volume up nearly as high as it would go.

He summoned the little girl to his side then, with a snap of his fingers, lifted her up and sat her on his shoulders. Then he hit play.

The first few bars of "Wouldn't It Be Nice" began to ring out through the mission.

Kensi struggled to stay focused on the Debrief, as her mind kept drifting off into her memories of the time she'd spent with Alyssa. The first night with her, shopping with her, and going to the beach with her—these were the things she thought about.

She smiled a little when she thought about riding in the car to and from the beach, with Deeks trying to teach Alyssa the words to some of the Beach Boys songs he knew. Her favorite of the songs had been "Wouldn't it Be Nice".

"When Maria Faraday learned of Alvarez's plan for their daughter, she fled the compound and went into hiding. A few days later she was tracked down, while meeting with her friend Felicia Weston, and subsequently murdered by her ex-FBI handler Aziz Ansari. He forced her car off the road, and through a guard rail—she died instantly, and-"

"Wouldn't it be nice if we were older, then we wouldn't have to wait so long; and wouldn't it be nice to live together, in the kind of world where we belong." The music drifted up into the Ops Centre from the downstairs area, and everyone in the room could tell that Deeks was singing along with it.

Kensi listened carefully to the singing that was coming from downstairs, and she almost instantly knew who it was that was singing. It was Deeks. He was singing along with the Beach Boys CD he always kept in his Chevy Malibu.

"What the hell?" Callen looked up over his shoulder towards the entrance to Ops. "Is that-?"

"Deeks? Sounds like it." Sam said, with a weird expression painted across his face. "He sounds a little off-key though." Sam pointed out.

"Kind of off-key?" Callen arched an eyebrow at his partner, and gave a tiny smirk. Across the way Sam stifled a small laugh.

"It is Deeks." Kensi confirmed the statement made by the muscular black man.

"Wow, he's really making an ass of himself this morning." Callen said, with a shake of his head.

As they continued to listen they began to notice the second voice singing along with Deeks and the music. The second voice made Kensi's breath catch in her throat, and fresh tears then sprang into her eyes.

"You know its gonna make it that much better, when we can say goodnight and stay together." The two voices sang together as best as they could from downstairs.

"Alyssa." Kensi breathed the little girls' name, and then without warning turned and bolted for the staircase.

Kensi reached the edge of the staircase, and looked down to see Alyssa sitting on Deeks' shoulders singing along with Deeks and the stereo near the bullpen area.

"Morning Sunshine!" Deeks called up to his partner with a smile. "Brought someone here to see you."

"Alyssa," Kensi cried, as she turned and raced down the staircase towards the little girl.

Kensi reached the bottom of the stair and then in two or three more steps she was at Deeks' side. Deeks gently lowered the little girl down into Kensi's outstretched arms. "I've missed you so much." Kensi said softly in the little girls' ear as she hugged her.

"Marty said I could live you guys." Alyssa said, as she gently returned the older woman's hug.

Kensi pulled back a little, and looked into Alyssa's eyes for a brief moment. Then she turned her attention to Deeks who was just turning off the stereo. "I was visited by an angel last night," he told his partner. "Apparently, someone's been a little unhappy with her living arrangements." He added.

When Deeks finally turned back around he had the packet of papers in his hands, given to him by Felicia Weston the night before, and he then showed them to Kensi.

"I've already signed them. That means your John Hancock is all that's needed to make it official." He said with a grin as he gave the packet a small shake. "That is…if you're interested."

Kensi looked at the little girl again, and studied her face for a moment. "Are you sure that's what you want?" Kensi asked softly.

Alyssa rested her head against Kensi's shoulder, and wrapped her arms around the woman's neck. "Yes." Alyssa replied quietly.

Callen, Sam, Eric, Nell, and Hetty had all appeared at the top of the staircase by then, and had been watching the whole scene from above. Someone sniffled a little bit.

"Sam?" Callen said without looking.

"What? My allergies are acting up." Sam tried.

"You don't have allergies, Sam. You're crying, aren't you?" Callen said with clear amusement.

"Can it G." Sam threw back. "Real men aren't afraid to cry."

"Just keep telling yourself that." Callen replied, with a chuckle.

"Well, I think its very manly Sam." Nell chimed in from the side.

"Thank you Nell." Sam replied, as he shot Callen a dirty look.

Deeks looked from the guys upstairs back to Kensi. "So what do you say? You think you're ready…Mom?"

Kensi thought for a moment, and then nodded as a smile crossed her tear stained face. "Yes. I think I am."

"Hey Hetty, you think we can get a rain check on that Debrief." Deeks called up to the older woman. "You know, give us time to finalize the adoption." He added.

"I think perhaps we can work something out." Hetty replied after a brief moment of thought. "After all, I guess this is a rather special occasion." A smile slowly made its way across the tiny woman's face.

"Go on, get going." Hetty said at last. "All of you take the day off—we will resume the Debrief tomorrow." She winked down at Kensi as she spoke.

Kensi smiled appreciatively up at the tiny woman, and gave a slight nod. "Thanks Hetty." Kensi said to the Operations Manager.

The sun was just beginning to set low in the sky as Deeks pulled the Chevy Malibu to a slow stop just outside a small brick house located about 10 minutes away from Deeks' favorite beach spot.

It was a small house that had three bedrooms, two bathrooms, a little swimming pool, palm trees in the front and back yards, and a gorgeous stone walkway that led up to the front door.

Alyssa was fast asleep in the back seat of the car, and Kensi sat with her head propped against the window in the front passenger's seat.

They had spent most of the day getting Alyssa's adoption finalized. It had been a long and trying day, but they left that dreadful place filled with new happiness in their lives. This happiness came from the knowledge that Alyssa was finally theirs.

Deeks put the car in park, and then sat back in his seat staring up at the house. He let out a small sigh as he looked over at Kensi. "What do you think?" he asked her.

"About what?" she asked, obviously clueless as to what he was talking about. Deeks pointed through the windshield at the car. Kensi sat up straight and looked at it for a long moment. "The house?"

"Yeah, the house." Deeks replied, with a shake of his head.

"Its great. Why?"

"Could you live there?" Deeks asked the brunette, eyeing her as he spoke. "You know, like settle down and raise a little family—that kind of thing?"

Kensi thought for a moment before answering. "Yeah, I guess I could." She answered finally.

"Could you live here…with me?" Deeks asked next, looking fully at the beautiful brunette sitting in the seat beside him. His heart was beating frantically, but he tried to hide that fact from her. He did not want to seem nervous around her about things like this.

Kensi looked into Deeks' eyes for a second or so. It clicked, suddenly, what the shaggy-haired man was pushing at. She began to feel a little nervous and ashamed at the same time.

"Deeks, I-" She paused and took a deep breath to steady her nerves before continuing. "I know what you're thinking. But I'm just not the 'housewife' type." She spoke softly, and avoided direct eye contact with him. "I mean-"

Deeks laid his hand on top of hers, which rested in her lap. "Kens, I don't expect you to turn into some 1950s 'I Love Lucy' poster wife." He said, with a humorous flair. "I just want you. You and Alyssa…and Me—All of us, together in that house." He said motioning with his free hand towards the little house.

Kensi looked up at Deeks then, and searched his eyes for something—what, she did not really know at that point.

"Deeks, are-are we…are we even." She blew out a frustrated sigh as she struggled to get the right words out. "Look, I know we've already had…I mean, we've-we've done-" Damn, this was harder than she'd ever thought it would be.

Deeks chuckled at the memory he was reliving. "You mean 'it'." He finished for her. "As in 'Sex'." He added. "And you thought that's all I wanted from you…just a one night stand."

Kensi nodded. "Well, I mean we haven't really talked about it yet." She pointed out.

Deeks rolled his eyes at the woman next to him. "Well yeah, I was hit by car—that kind of delayed things I think. Then you got kidnapped, nice job by the way." He said jokingly.

Kensi couldn't help but laugh at his sense of humor.

"Yeah, I guess you're right." She agreed with a small chuckle. She intertwined the fingers of one of her hands with his, the way most of the couples she'd seen in her life always did, as they sat there.

"Besides, I don't think it would be fair to Alyssa to have be shuffled between two houses for the rest of her childhood, ya know?" Deeks told her.

"You're right." Kensi said with a small nod. Then she looked up at Deeks. "This…is what I want, I think. You think maybe I could sleep on it tonight, and give you my answer in the morning?"

"I mean I don't want to say yes, and then down the road-" she started to say.

"-Regret it?" Deeks suggested.

Kensi nodded silently at the blue-eyed man liaison officer. "It just wouldn't be fair to you, if I did that."

Deeks shrugged. "I'll give you until the end of the month if you want it." He said with a grin.

Kensi smiled at Deeks, and then leaned over the space between the two seats and kissed him on the lips. When they finally parted from their kiss, Deeks reached up and threw the car back into drive.

"Where are we going now?" Kensi asked, as she settled back into her seat.

"Home." He told her. "More specifically, your home." He added. "Munchkin back there had already expired on us, and I'm pretty sure your getting close to doing the same."

"It's been a long day." Kensi said, with a sigh.

"Sure has." Deeks agreed. "But, I think it was worth it."

Kensi nodded. "I do too."

…**THE END…**

…**F.Y.I. Even though this is technically the final chapter in this series, for those of you who are interested I do have several one-shots planned as follow-ups. These one-shots will show Deeks and Kensi's lives a little later down the road. I think you guys will really like how things turn out for our heroes.**

**P.S. The first of the one-shots will be called 'Surprise', and in it Kensi and the gang throw Deeks a birthday party. His biggest birthday surprise comes from Kensi…and it is quite the doozie I must say. Look for it to be posted sometime within the next week or so.**

**Thanks again for reading you guys, and don't forget to comment/review. Enjoy!**


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